LIBRARIAN'S  FUMJ 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


THE    GARDEN    LIBRARY 


Roses  and  How  to  Grow  Them 

By  MANY  EXPERTS 

Ferns  and  How  to  Grow  Them 

By  G.  A.  WOOLSON 

Lawns  and  How  to  Make  Them 

By  LEONARD  BARRON 

Daffodils-Narcissus  and  How  to  Grow  Them 

By  A.  M.  KIRBY 

Water-Lilies  and  How  to  Grow  Them 

By  H.  S.  CONARD  and  HENRI  Hus 

Orchard  and  Fruit  Garden 

By  E.  P.  POWELL 

The  Flower  Garden 

By  IDA  D.  BENNETT 


hi  & 

\ 


GIBRALTAR   ONIONS,    ONE   OF   THE   BEST  FOR   THE   HOME   GARDEN 

[See  page  149] 


The  Vegetable  Garden 


A  MANUAL  FOR  THE 
AMATEUR  VEGETABLE  GARDENER 

By 
IDA  D.  BENNETT 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 
1909 


Copyright,  Ipo$,  by  The  McClure  Company 

LIBRARIANS  FUM    '  v 


A  NOTE 

The  author  desires  to  acknowledge  valuable  assistance  re- 
ceived from  Dr.  E.  Porter  Felt  and  William  C.  McCollom 
in  the  preparation  of  the  chapter  on  Spraying;  from  Parker 
Thayer  Barnes  in  the  preparation  of  the  chapter  on  Fertil- 
ising and  the  chapter  on  Garden  Tools.  She  also  wishes  to 
express  her  indebtedness  to  Prof.  Samuel  T.  Maynard  for 
his  careful  revision  of  the  text  of  the  entire  work. 


212458 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    THE    SANITARY    AND    ECONOMIC  VALUE    OF    THE 

KITCHEN  GARDEN  3 

II.     THE  LOCATION  OF  THE  GARDEN  12 

III.  PLANNING  THE  GARDEN  22 

IV.  How  TO  MAINTAIN  FERTILITY  29 

V.    THE  CONSTRUCTION  AND  CARE  OF  HOTBEDS,  COLD- 
FRAMES,  AND  PITS  47 

VI.     ON  THE  SOWING  OF  SEED  75 

VII.    TRANSPLANTING  84 

VIII.    TOOLS  WHICH  MAKE  GARDENING  EASY                          96 

IX.    ON  THE  GROWING  OF  VARIOUS  VEGETABLES  104 

X.    ROOT  VEGETABLES  141 

XI.    VINE  VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS  175 

XII.     GREENS  AND  SALAD  VEGETABLES  194 

XIII.  PERENNIAL  VEGETABLES  206 

XIV.  STORING  VEGETABLES  IN  WINTER  226 
XV.    THE  GARDEN'S  ENEMIES  233 

XVI.    FALL  WORK  IN  THE  GARDEN  247 


[vii] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

GIBRALTAR  ONIONS,  ONE  OF  THE  BEST  FOR  THE  HOME 

GARDEN         .         .         .         .     . -^.j     ;•/       Frontispiece 

PACK 

A  GARDEN  PLAN          .         .         .     . .  ..      <*,     >•      ,  ,*,.  28 

LIQUID  MANURE  is  ONE  OF  THE  BEST-ACTING  FER- 
TILIZERS        .         .         .         .         .         .                  .  29 

A  SINGLE  BUT  SERVICEABLE  HOTBED    .         .         ,         .  48 

TEMPORARY  HOTBEDS  IN  A  CITY  BACK  YARD        .         .  49 

STRAW  $!AT  FOR  USE  IN  VERY  COLD  WEATHER    .        '..  64 

SHOWING  VEGETABLES  GROWING  IN  HOTBED         .         .  65 

THE  WHEEL  HOE  is  THE  HANDIEST  GARDEN  TOOL      .  96 

THE  EASIEST-RUNNING  WHEEL  HOE  VALUABLE  FOR 

MAINTAINING  A  DUST  MULCH          ....  96 

PAPER  COLLAR  TO  PROTECT  PLANT  FROM  CUT- WORMS  .  97 

A  HOME-MADE  DIBBLE        .         .         .         ..       .         .  97 

A  SCUFFLE  MOUNTED  ON  WHEELS        .         .  ,•       ,         .  112 

THE  SCUFFLE  HOE  Is  EASIER  TO   WORK  THAN   THE 

ORDINARY  HOE      .         .         .         .         .         «         .  112 

A  GOOD  COLLECTION  OF  HOME-GROWN  VEGETABLES     .  113 

LETTUCE  MATURING  IN  HOME-MADE  COLDFRAME          .  113 

[ix] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

JAPANESE  CLIMBING  CUCUMBER  NEARLY  Six  FEET  FROM 

THE  GROUND 192 

WELL-GROWN  CUCUMBERS 192 

A  PERFECTLY  GROWN  MUSKMELON  .  .  .  .193 
FORDHOOK  EARLY  WATERMELONS  .  .  .  .193 
CELERY  BANKED  WITH  EARTH  TO  BLANCH  IT  .  .  208 
SPRAYING  WITH  A  BARREL  PUMP  .  .  .  .  209 

SPRAYING  WITH  A  BUCKET  PUMP  ....      209 

A  PRACTICAL  PLANTING  TABLE  .  .         .         .        .      256 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


CHAPTER    ONE 

THE    SANITARY    AND    ECONOMIC    VALUE    OF 
THE    KITCHEN    GARDEN 


IVECENT  legislation  has  focused  public  atten- 
tion in  no  small  degree  upon  the  subject  of  pure 
food.  Just  what  goes  into  the  composition  of  the 
food  we  eat  is  becoming  more  and  more  a  matter 
of  inquiry  by  the  consumer.  It  is  doubtful,  how- 
ever, if  the  law  requiring  the  constituents  of  tinned 
goods  and  sealed  packages  to  be  printed  on  the 
outside  of  the  packages  meets  the  full  require- 
ments of  the  case.  It  is  probable  that  quite  as  much 
adulterated  food  is  sold  as  at  any  time  previous 
to  the  passage  of  the  law.  Many  manufacturers 
rely  upon  the  proneness  of  people  to  accept  a  thing 
as  a  fact  without  the  trouble  of  personal  investiga- 
tion. Few  people,  it  may  be  supposed,  take  the 
trouble  to  read  the  labels  on  the  goods  they  buy, 
at  least  not  until  they  are  delivered  at  the  house, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  the  few  who  do  take  the  pre- 
caution are  much  wiser  for  their  pains.  The  bo- 

[3] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


tanical  and  scientific  names  of  the  various  adulter- 
ants convey  little  or  no  meaning  to  the  average 
consumer.  Still,  anything  in  tin  that  has  come 
through  the  government  inspections  and  the  wide 
publicity  given  the  unsavoury  details  by  the  press 
of  the  country,  is  looked  upon  with  a  certain 
amount  of  suspicion  by  the  general  public. 

The  result  of  this  suspicion  has  been  to  increase, 
in  no  small  degree,  the  consumption  of  fresh 
fruits  and  vegetables  by  all  classes.  One  naturally 
has  confidence  in  anything  which  comes  to  her  in  its 
original  form.  It  does  not  seem  possible  for  any- 
thing to  be  other  than  it  seems,  and  of  this  class 
of  products  the  most  inexperienced  housewife  feels 
confident  to  judge.  If  a  cabbage  is  clean  and 
bright — the  outer  leaves  green  and  fresh,  the  in- 
side fresh  and  crisp — what  more  could  one  ask? 
Well,  to  the  initiated  there  does  sometimes  arise 
a  question  as  to  how  all  this  immaculate  crispness 
and  freedom  from  the  trail  of  the  worm  was 
attained.  After  even  a  few  years'  experience  in  the 
growing  of  cabbages  and  allied  plants,  one  comes 
to  know  that  their  growing  on  any  large  scale, 
especially  on  old  land,  is  not  the  simple  or  always 

the  cleanly  thing  it  seems. 

[4] 


VALUE    OF    THE    KITCHEN    GARDEN 


It  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  average  farmer  and 
market  gardener  who  raises  cabbages  for  market 
is  fairly  conscientious  in  his  methods.  But  this  is 
not  true  of  all,  and  it  is  not  an  unknown  thing  to 
hear  of  isolated  cases  where  Paris  green  has  been 
used  freely  after  the  heads  are  set  on  both  cabbage 
and  cauliflowers. 

The  use  of  Paris  green  on  potatoes  is  an  estab- 
lished practice,  unavoidably  so  on  plantings  of  any 
extent.  All  the  products  of  the  vine — cucumbers, 
squash,  and  melons — are  subject  to  more  or  less 
"  doping  "  at  the  hands  of  the  professional,  and 
currants,  gooseberries,  and  grapes  do  not  always 
escape  their  share  of  the  death-dealing  chemicals. 
Now  there  is  little  doubt  that  much  of  the  appli- 
cations used  are,  when  applied  early  in  the  growth 
of  the  plant,  ere  yet  it  has  set  its  fruit  or  formed 
a  head,  is  harmless,  but  after  a  plant  has  made 
advanced  growth,  it  is  certainly  the  part  of  wisdom 
to  keep  it  as  near  harmless  to  the  human  digestive 
tract  as  possible. 

Anyone  who  has  watched  the  action  of  the  vari- 
ous insecticides,  which  may  be  plant  poisons  that 
kill  the  plants  on  which  they  are  sprayed  by  en- 
tering into  the  circulation  and  destroying  root  and 

[5] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

all,  cannot  but  wonder  how  far  the  usual  insect- 
icides, especially  the  arsenates,  may  go  in  the  cir- 
culation of  the  plants  to  which  they  are  applied. 
There  are  certain  plant-poisons — herbicides — on  the 
market  which  it  is  claimed  will  kill  out  scrub  oak, 
burdock,  Canada  thistle,  and  like  persistent  peren- 
nial growths;  whether  it  does  it  or  not,  the  fact 
remains  that  plants  have  the  power  of  absorbing 
and  carrying  through  the  sap  circulation  to  a 
limited  degree  foreign  matter  applied  upon  the 
surface. 

It  is  considerations  like  this  which  make  the 
growing  of  one's  own  kitchen  vegetables  so  desir- 
able, for  though  it  may  be  practically  necessary  for 
the  large  grower  to  employ  the  aid  of  various 
poisons  in  order  to  produce  a  crop  of  any  or  many 
specific  vegetables,  on  the  restricted  area  of  the 
home  garden  in  many  cases  it  is  neither  necessary 
nor  desirable. 

There  is  another  point  that  has  weight  with  the 
careful  housewife — that  of  perfect  cleanliness.  If 
vegetables  look  clean  and  fresh  one  is  apt  to  infer 
that  they  are  fresh  from  the  garden.  This  may 
be  anything  but  the  case.  Market  gardeners  are 
not  independent  of  time  and  seasons  any  moru 

[6] 


VALUE    OF    THE    KITCHEN    GARDEN 


than  the  rest  of  mankind,  and  often  find  their 
crop  ripening  in  advance  of  the  market;  especially 
is  this  the  case  in  small  cities  or  country  towns, 
and  the  vegetables  bought  as  fresh  may  have  lain 
in  the  cellar  of  the  gardener  or  green  grocer  for 
a  week  or  more,  and  finally  been  sorted  out  from 
a  heap  of  decaying  matter  and  given  a  bath  to 
make  them  presentable  for  offering  for  sale. 

Much  of  the  garden  stuff  offered  in  the  open 
market  or  peddled  from  door  to  door  was  gath- 
ered the  day  before  or  even  earlier  and  hauled  long 
distances  in  an  uncovered  waggon  over  a  dusty 
road,  and  we  all  know  of  what  the  dust  of  the 
road  is  composed,  afterwards  to  lie  exhibited  on 
open  stalls  in  markets  or  in  front  of  stores,  ex- 
posed to  the  flies  or  the  attentions  of  every  pass- 
ing dog — and  the  benches  are  seldom  above  high- 
water  mark — and  the  unspeakable  dust  and  filth 
of  the  streets. 

All  this  bids  one  pause  when  tempted  to  order 
one's  daily  supply  of  fresh  vegetables  from  one's 
local  grocer.  Certainly  it  should,  if  one  has  a  bit 
of  land  at  command  and  the  strength  and  ambi- 
tion to  work  it  or  even  the  will  to  hire  it  worked, 
for  there  is  profit,  real  and  realisable  profit,  in  the 

m 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


growing  of  one's  own  vegetables.  Profit  of  health 
and  of  pocket  for  the  expense  of  a  small  kitchen 
garden,  properly  managed,  is  light,  the  returns 
certain  and  enjoyable. 

There  are  no  vegetables  like  those  which  come 
wet  with  the  morning  dew  from  one's  own  garden 
to  grace  the  breakfast  table  with  the  toothsome 
crispness  of  the  scarlet  radish  or  the  fresh  cool- 
ness of  lettuce.  Sweet  corn,  when  detached  from 
the  parent  stalk  and  has  felt  the  heat  of  the  day, 
loses  half  its  sweetness;  and  peas  have  a  delicate 
flavour  easily  impaired  by  lying  in  heaps,  even 
though  in  a  cool  place. 

To  my  mind  there  is  nothing  more  dishearten- 
ing on  a  marketing  expedition  than  the  sight  of 
the  limp  vegetables  exposed  for  sale,  and  it  must 
indeed  be  a  dearth  in  the  family  larder  which  in- 
duces me  to  purchase. 

As  to  the  expense  incurred  in  growing  one's 
own  vegetables,  it  will  be  found  comprised  for  the 
main  part  in  the  fitting  of  the  land  for  planting 
and  the  trifling  outlay  for  seeds.  All  varieties  of 
seed,  with  the  exception  of  peas,  are  of  small  cost. 
The  usual  five-  or  ten-cent  packets  of  most  kinds 
will  be  found  ample.  Where  more  than  this  amount 

[8] 


VALUE    OF    THE    KITCHEN    GARDEN 


is  required,  it  will  be  well  to  buy  it  by  the  ounce. 
By  first  measuring  the  ground  and  then  studying 
those  catalogues  which  give  the  quantity  of  seed 
required  to  plant  a  given  area — as  an  hundred  feet 
of  drill — one  can  estimate  very  closely  the  exact 
amount  required  of  any  variety.  Of  course  where 
this  is  done  one  must  calculate  on  purchasing 
good  seed  of  reliable  dealers,  planting  it  properly 
and  giving  the  plants  suitable  culture  after  they 
are  up.  One  must  not  sow  it  in  any  haphazard  way 
and  expect  good  results. 

It  is  very  rarely  that  one  family  will  find  use  for 
all  the  products  of  a  garden,  be  it  ever  so  small, 
and,  if  one  is  so  inclined,  the  surplus  will  find  ready 
sale  among  one's  neighbours.  Especially  is  this 
the  case  with  the  early  plants  from  the  hotbeds. 
A  very  good  plan,  when  one  wishes  a  great  vari- 
ety of  vegetables  and  has  but  a  limited  amount 
of  room  in  which  to  grow  them,  is  to  arrange  with 
a  neighbour  to  co-operate  in  the  garden  work  and 
each  take  certain  things.  His  land,  perhaps,  may 
seem  more  suited  for,  or  he  have  more  knowledge 
of  the  culture  of  certain  plants;  then  let  him  grow 
of  these  enough  for  both  gardens,  while  you  un- 
dertake those  which  he  does  not  grow.  This 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


insures  a  great  variety  of  vegetables  at  the  mini- 
mum amount  of  work  and  outlay.  Possibly  your 
neighbour's  land  is  a  little  wet  and  low  and  well 
adapted  to  the  growing  of  cabbage  and  cauli- 
flowers, while  yours  may  be  a  warm,  sandy  loam, 
especially  suited  to  grow  melons,  or  you  may  have 
turned  under  a  piece  of  sod  land  which  is  not  suffi- 
ciently tractable  for  growing  root  crops  or  those 
needing  close  cultivation,  but  will  do  admirably 
for  corn  or  potatoes,  while  his  ground  may  have 
been  in  cultivation  for  years  and  in  so  fine  a  state 
of  tilth  as  to  answer  admirably  for  onions,  radishes, 
lettuce,  and  the  like. 

Again,  your  neighbour  may  have  a  horse  and 
be  able  to  do  the  greater  part  of  his  work  with  it, 
while  your  ground  must  be  cultivated  by  hand;  it 
will  then  pay  best  if  he  shall  undertake  the  grow- 
ing of  larger  crops,  which  may  best  be  handled 
with  a  horse  cultivator.  Corn,  cabbage,  cauli- 
flowers, potatoes,  and  such  vegetables,  which  are 
usually  planted  three  feet  apart,  may  be  worked 
to  advantage  this  way,  while  the  smaller  vegeta- 
bles— carrots,  onions,  peas,  parsnips,  and  tomatoes, 
which  sprawl  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  work  among 
them  with  a  horse  after  they  have  made  much 

[10] 


VALUE    OF    THE    KITCHEN    GARDEN 


growth — are  better  handled  with  the  hand  culti- 
vator or  even  with  a  hoe. 

Again,  it  pays  from  a  physical  standpoint  of 
view.  Did  we  cultivate  more  assiduously  our  back- 
yard gardens,  those  of  us  whose  daily  grind  chains 
us  fast  to  a  bell  or  whistle  or  even  an  office  clock, 
there  would  be  fewer  nervous  breakdowns.  It  is 
curious  how  our  cares  drop  away  from  our  poor 
fagged  minds  when  we  get  out  in  touch  with  the 
good  brown  earth.  It  must  be  a  deep-seated  trou- 
ble, indeed,  which  will  not  lift  ever  so  little  when 
the  robin's  song  is  in  the  air  and  the  sweet,  moist 
smell  of  the  soil  comes  up  after  a  rain.  To  possess 
the  land  and  till  it  is  the  primal  heritage  of  man. 
To  delight  in  the  work  of  his  hands,  the  reward 
which  beckons  him. 


CHAPTER    TWO 
THE    LOCATION    OF    THE    GARDEN 


1  HIS  is  a  point  which  admits  of  little  discussion  or 
advice,  as,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  circumstances 
decide  this  arbitrarily.  Especially  is  this  the  case 
where  the  only  land  at  command  is  comprised  in 
the  narrow  confines  of  a  city  back  yard  or  the 
somewhat  more  generous  area  of  a  suburban  lot. 

But  in  the  country,  where  land  is  abundant, 
the  only  restrictive  condition  is  that  it  should  be 
near  the  house,  so  that  it  may  be  easily  worked 
and  cared  for,  especially  if  much  of  this  care  must 
devolve  upon  the  women  of  the  family,  as  is  often 
the  case  on  the  farm.  Given  here  a  measure  of 
choice  of  location,  it  will  be  well  to  select  a  bit  of 
land  well  drained  and  exposed  to  the  sunshine  the 
greater  part  of  the  day.  The  near  presence  of  trees 
is  to  be  avoided,  as  these  not  only  furnish  more 
shade  than  is  desirable,  but  the  roots — which  ex- 
tend in  all  directions  over  an  area  equal  to  the  spread 

[12] 


THE  LOCATION  OF  THE  GARDEN 


of  tops — drain  all  the  moisture  and  much  of  the 
nourishment  from  the  soil,  much  to  the  detriment 
of  any  crop  which  may  be  planted  in  their  imme- 
diate vicinity. 

Low,  wet  land  should  be  avoided  unless  it  can 
be  thoroughly  drained,  in  which  case  it  often  makes 
excellent  garden  land.  I  have  such  a  spot  on  my 
own  land  which  for  a  number  of  years  was  too 
wet  to  work  to  advantage  in  any  but  very  dry 
seasons,  and  in  the  spring  thaws  and  after  every 
hard  summer  rain  was  under  water  for  a  foot  or 
more.  Finally  after  losing  a  dozen  fine  Brahma 
fowls  (which  had  been  shut  up  in  a  temporary 
coop  to  break  them  of  setting)  by  a  sudden  sum- 
mer rain,  which  flooded  all  of  that  part  of  the 
premises,  it  was  drained  by  the  very  simple  and 
inexpensive  expedient  of  digging  a  deep  hole,  six 
feet  deep  and  five  feet  in  diameter,  and  filling  this 
up  with  all  sorts  of  rubbish  from  about  the  place — 
old  tins,  broken  crockery,  and  the  like.  This  proved 
perfectly  successful  and  no  trouble  has  been  ex- 
perienced since,  the  ground  being  in  shape  to  work 
but  a  few  days  later  than  the  rest  of  the  garden 
and  not  delaying  cultivation  to  any  extent  at  any 

time  during  the  remainder  of  the  summer.  It  has 

[13] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


been  found  an  excellent  place  for  the  growing  of 
cabbage  and  cauliflowers,  which  have  now  been 
grown  there  several  years  in  succession  without 
any  sign  of  club-foot  or  much  of  any  damage  from 
the  cabbage  worm. 

Of  course  this  bit  of  land  is  underlaid  with 
gravel.  With  a  clay  subsoil  it  might  be  necessary 
to  employ  more  scientific  drainage,  and  the  laying 
of  porous  tile  be  found  necessary. 

Clay  land  does  not  make  an  ideal  garden  soil. 
A  good  warm  loam,  well  overlaid  with  humus — 
decayed  vegetable  matter — is  the  best  soil  in  which 
to  grow  garden  stuff,  but  a  stiff  clay  soil  may  be 
made  to  produce  good  results  by  heavy  manuring 
and  underdraining,  but  will  not  warrant  the  ex- 
pense if  other  and  better  soil  is  available.  The 
point  to  be  considered  in  selecting  garden  soil  is 
to  choose  that  which  will  grow  the  greatest  variety 
of  vegetables  with  the  least  expenditure  of  labor 
and  fertilisers.  There  are  very  few  vegetables  but 
what  may  be  grown  to  a  point  of  perfection  satis- 
factory for  the  home  garden,  though  they  might 
not  produce  in  quantities  to  make  them  remunera- 
tive for  a  market  garden  where  much  more  is  ex- 
pected of  the  soil  than  in  private  places.  Certain 

[14] 


THE  LOCATION  OF  THE  GARDEN 


soils,  like  well-drained  marsh  lands,  are  ideal  for 
certain  vegetables,  such  as  celery,  cabbage,  and 
the  like,  but  less  valuable  for  general  use. 

On  the  small  village  lot  one  must,  perforce,  take 
what  one  has,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  there  is  any  bit 
of  land  but  what  may  be  made,  under  careful 
management,  to  produce  a  fair  amount  of  vege- 
tation. The  fertility  of  a  small  area  of  land  is  so 
easily  increased  that  no  plot  of  land  need  be  con- 
sidered hopeless  on  that  score.  The  mechanical  con- 
dition is  more  apt  to  cause  trouble.  When  a  piece 
of  land  has  been  used  for  a  dumping  heap  for 
years,  probably  beginning  with  the  erection  of  the 
house,  when  all  the  excavated  subsoil  was  dumped 
upon  the  ground  and  levelled  off  instead  of  being 
carted  away,  as  it  should  have  been,  and  succeed- 
ing years  have  left  their  accumulation  of  ashes, 
rubbish,  and  old  cans  to  further  injure  the  soil, 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  much  to  do,  especially 
if  the  first  deposit  consists,  as  it  probably  does,  of 
gravel  and  hardpan,  but  to  first  remove  all  rubbish 
and  then  to  dig  up  the  surface  dirt  down  to  the 
original  soil  and  have  the  refuse  carted  away.  As 
there  is  always  a  demand  for  dirt  for  grading  in 
a  place  of  any  size,  the  expense  of  digging  up  the 

[15] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


dirt  will  usually  be  all  that  is  entailed,  as  some  one 
can  always  be  found  to  haul  it  away  for  it. 

There  is  one  condition  to  be  considered,  how- 
ever, in  this  method  of  restoring  the  soil,  and  that 
is  the  grade.  If  this  is  high  enough  to  allow  of  the 
removal  of  any  considerable  amount  of  earth,  well 
and  good,  but  if  not,  fresh  earth  must  be  brought 
in  to  take  its  place.  However,  the  ploughing  and 
fertilising  of  the  soil  will  raise  the  grade  consider- 
ably, and  land  that  at  first  may  appear  too  low 
will,  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years'  cultiva- 
tion, have  quite  recovered  its  usual  grade. 

The  proneness  of  land  to  rise  has  been  well  dem- 
onstrated on  my  own  place,  where  the  house  stands 
on  a  knoll,  the  ground  sloping  away  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  should,  for  this  reason,  afford  a  per- 
fectly dry  house  and  cellar.  The  contrary,  how- 
ever, is  true,  owing  to  the  fact  that  several  years 
ago  the  sod  was  broken  around  the  foundations 
of  the  house  for  the  planting  of  vines  and  shrub- 
bery. As  the  soil  about  foundations  is  never  very 
suitable  for  the  growing  of  plants,  fresh  earth  was 
added  from  the  compost  heap  and  garden,  much 
of  the  poor  soil  being  first  removed.  Subsequent 

top  dressings  of  soil  and  fertilisers  has  resulted  in 

[16] 


THE  LOCATION  OF  THE  GARDEN 


so  marked  a  rise  in  the  grade  of  the  ground  as  to 
permit  the  water  to  run  in  at  the  cellar  windows 
during  spring  thaws  and  summer  storms;  as  a 
result,  we  find  it  will  be  necessary  to  cut  the  sod 
in  narrow  strips  and  roll  it  back  for  a  distance  of 
twenty  feet  or  more;  lay  aside  the  surface  soil, 
and  remove  about  six  inches  of  the  subsoil  and  re- 
place the  surface  soil  and  the  sod  and  roll  it  thor- 
oughly with  the  lawn  roller.  This  is  the  one  seri- 
ous objection  to  "  base  plantings  "  about  the  house 
or  outbuildings — its  tendency  to  raise  the  grade  of 
the  land. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  near  presence  of  trees 
is  to  be  avoided  in  the  garden,  but  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  working  it  will  be  greatly  enhanced 
by  the  presence  of  a  shed  or  other  building  on  the 
north  side,  where  one  can  store  the  necessary  tools, 
do  much  of  the  indoor  work  connected  with  gar- 
dening, cleaning  vegetables,  and  the  like,  or  take 
shelter  in  a  sudden  shower.  Such  a  building  will 
afford  a  suitable  location  for  the  construction  of 
hotbeds  and  coldframes,  as  well  as  affording  tem- 
porary quarters  for  vegetables,  which  may  need  to 
be  gathered  in  advance  of  a  sudden  cold  snap.  It 
will  also  be  found  invaluable  for  drying  and  ripen- 

[17] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ing  off  such  vegetables  as  are  to  be  stored  in  the 
cellar  for  winter  use.  A  scaffolding  of  lath,  erected 
just  out  of  the  way  of  one's  head,  will  be  found 
invaluable  for  drying  onions,  and  will  double  the 
capacity  of  the  shed. 

Another  feature  of  moment  in  the  selection  of 
a  garden  site  is  the  nearness  and  availability  of  the 
water  supply.  Where  one  has  city  water  the  prob- 
lem is  simple — the  water  may  be  carried  to  the 
garden;  but  where  this  does  not  exist  the  garden 
must  be  carried  to  the  well  or  a  home  system  of 
water  established.  This  may  be  accomplished  sat- 
isfactorily by  the  erection  of  a  wind-mill  operated 
through  a  three-way  pump,  which  will  convey 
water  to  any  point  in  the  ground.  Even  the  mill 
may  be  dispensed  with  and  water  carried  to  a 
stand  pipe  supplied  with  a  hose  and  nozzle,  whence 
it  may  be  distributed  about  the  garden  as  needed. 
It  is  necessary,  however,  in  installing  a  force  pump 
of  any  make  to  know  just  what  you  are  getting, 
and  not  find  one's  self  encumbered  with  a  pump 
which  it  is  a  punishment  to  work  or  one  with  in- 
sufficient force  to  throw  a  reasonable  stream  of 
water. 

The  presence  of  a  shed  and  a  water  supply  ad- 
[18] 


THE  LOCATION  OF  THE  GARDEN 


jacent  will  be  found  of  the  greatest  convenience 
to  the  housewife,  who  can  there  prepare  the  vege- 
tables for  the  table,  doing  away  with  much  dirt 
about  the  kitchen  and  the  subsequent  disposal  of 
the  tops,  husks,  and  other  refuse. 

There  is  one  more  point  to  notice  in  connection 
with  the  kitchen  garden,  and  that  is  that  it  should 
be  as  widely  separated  from  the  hennery  as  pos- 
sible. The  presence  of  a  high  fence  of  chicken  net- 
ting as  a  dividing  line  is  not  sufficient,  though  it 
is  a  distinct  gain  on  chickens  running  at  large. 
But  for  perfect  immunity  from  the  encroachments 
of  Mistress  Biddy  it  is  best  to  begin  with  the 
youngsters  and,  by  keeping  temptation  out  of 
their  way,  nip  in  the  bud  any  embryo  inclination 
to  revel  in  one's  softest  garden  beds.  Where  the 
hen  park  adjoins  the  garden  the  little  chicks,  which 
can  easily  pass  through  the  meshes  of  the  netting, 
form  the  habit  of  working  there,  and  the  first  move 
they  make  in  the  morning  will  be  through  the 
fence  into  the  garden.  I  do  not  think  that  at  this 
stage  they  do  any  harm;  sometimes  I  have  thought 
their  presence  a  benefit,  so  many  are  the  bugs 
and  worms  they  destroy,  and  they  aid  materially 

in  the  cultivation  of  the  larger  vegetables — cauli- 

[19] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


flowers,  cabbage,  tomatoes,  and  the  like — but  are 
destructive,  indeed,  to  the  tender  leaves  of  the 
lettuce,  and  as  the  garden  advances  and  tomatoes 
and  melons  ripen,  they  can  be  trusted  to  peck 
everything  as  it  ripens.  Moreover,  having  formed 
the  garden  habit  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  break 
them  of  it,  and  fences  that  were  considered  chicken- 
tight  apparently  form  no  barrier  to  them.  I  have 
repeatedly  seen  Plymouth  Rocks  and  American 
Reds  climb  up  a  wire  netting  by  hooking  their 
claws  into  the  meshes,  balance  a  moment  on  the 
top  wire,  and  fly  triumphantly  down  into  the  for- 
bidden land.  Chickens  which  have  never  been  al- 
lowed in  the  garden  seldom  make  serious  trouble 
in  confinement. 

The  past  summer  I  have  been  greatly  puzzled 
to  learn  how  certain  half -grown  American  Reds 
gained  access  to  the  garden,  past  a  six-foot  board 
fence  and  a  five-foot  wire  netting,  but  the  mystery 
was  solved  when  I  found  that  they  were  climbing 
from  branch  to  branch  of  a  mulberry  tree  on  the 
park  side  of  the  fence,  until  they  had  reached  a 
sufficiently  high  altitude,  when  they  flew  down  on, 
or  over,  the  fence. 

A  flock  of  Buff  Rocks,  which  came  of  stock 
[20] 


THE  LOCATION  OF  THE  GARDEN 

which  had  always  been  confined,  have  evinced  not 
the  slightest  inclination  to  stray,  but  stay  content- 
edly in  their  park,  coming  up  en  masse  each  night 
to  be  fed.  Yet  I  feel  not  a  shadow  of  a  doubt  that 
had  their  parents  been  brought  up  on  my  own 
premises  their  offspring  would  have  proven  as 
predatory  as  the  descendants  of  my  own  hens. 

This  may  seem  a  far  call  from  the  subject,  but 
it  is  a  point  which  is  likely  to  be  called  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  gardener  in  a  very  forcible  manner  any 
fine  summer  day,  when  he  finds,  as  I  did  the  past 
summer,  his  bed  of  prize  lettuce,  or  other  product 
of  his  tender  care,  practically  exterminated  by  a 
few  moments'  visit  of  a  flock  of  chickens.  How- 
ever, I  can  assure  him  he  will  not  feel  half  as  bad 
about  it  as  he  would  had  they  been  his  neighbours' 
chickens. 


[21] 


CHAPTER    THREE 
PLANNING    THE    GARDEN 


1  HE  work  of  planning  the  garden — inasmuch 
as  it  consists  in  deciding  what  and  how  much  we 
shall  plant  and  where  we  shall  plant  it — may  very 
well  be  done  long  in  advance  of  the  season  of  active 
operations.  Indeed,  it  is  a  distinct  and  pleasurable 
advantage  to  make  the  long  winter  evenings  sup- 
plement the  long  summer  days  by  devoting  a 
portion  of  them  to  the  seed  catalogues  and  other 
garden  literature. 

The  selection  of  varieties  of  vegetables  to  grow 
should  be  largely  influenced  by  those  which  form 
one's  daily  fare  throughout  the  season.  Vegetables 
which  are  seldom  purchased — unless  it  be  because 
of  their  high  price  or  scarcity — may  not  profitably 
be  cultivated  in  the  home  garden.  But  in  the  case 
of  high-priced  products,  then  the  home  garden 
demonstrates  its  economic  value  as  enabling  one  to 
indulge  in  otherwise  unattainable  luxuries.  Plainly, 

[if] 


PLANNING    THE    GARDEN 


then,  one  should  grow  in  abundance  those  things 
of  which  most  consumption  is  made.  There  will  be 
a  demand  for  those  vegetables  which  come  earliest 
in  spring — rhubarb,  asparagus,  radishes,  lettuce, 
and  such  quick-growing  things;  and  for  vege- 
tables which  may  be  stored  in  the  cellar  to  increase 
the  none-too-generous  variety  of  the  winter  larder 
— potatoes,  parsnips,  carrots,  squash,  and  the  like. 
Sweet  corn,  beans,  peas,  and  beets,  especially  those 
for  early  greens,  cabbage,  cauliflower,  and  toma- 
toes, will  be  indispensable  summer  products  which 
must  be  provided  for. 

A  little  study  of  the  catalogues  or  of  the  instruc- 
tions under  the  heading  of  various  vegetables  will 
show  the  height  of  these,  the  period  at  which  they 
are  in  season,  and  the  distance  apart  they  should 
be  planted,  and  this  data  will  furnish  the  necessary 
information  as  to  quantity  of  seed  or  number  of 
plants  required  for  a  given  area. 

If  the  land  devoted  to  the  kitchen  garden  is 
comprised  in  the  boundaries  of  a  city  lot  the  ar- 
rangement will,  necessarily,  be  somewhat  different 
than  that  which  would  prevail  in  the  country, 
where  the  garden  occupies  more  ground  and  is 

more  or  less  retired  from  observation.  On  the  city 

[23] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


lot  it  is  always,  to  the  family,  at  least,  in  evidence, 
and  should  be  made  as  attractive  as  possible.  This 
may  best  be  achieved  by  planting  the  more  orna- 
mental vegetables  in  front  and  relegating  the  tall- 
est and  the  least  ornamental  to  the  rear. 

On  the  limited  area  of  a  village  lot  it  will  not 
be  expedient  to  grow  vegetables  which  require  so 
large  an  amount  of  room  as  pumpkins,  squash,  and 
melons,  but  room  should  be  found  for  a  hill  or 
two  of  cucumbers  in  order  that  one  may  possess 
these  appetising  fruits  at  their  best.  I  have  grown 
very  good  cucumbers — and  melons,  too,  by  the 
way — on  the  hen-park  fence,  thus  not  only  pro- 
ducing a  crop  from  a  strip  of  land  not  readily 
available  for  other  purposes  but  affording  some 
useful  shade  for  the  poultry  yard.  A  post  or  two 
set  anywhere  convenient,  with  a  length  of  netting 
stretched  from  post  to  post,  may  take  the  place  of 
the  fence,  or  they  may  be  grown  against  the  side 
of  a  building. 

The  growing  of  this  class  of  vegetables  on  net- 
ting is  perfectly  rational;  Nature  has  provided  the 
vines  with  clinging  tendrils  and  evidently  intended 
them  to  be  used.  The  stems  of  all  of  this  class  of 
plants  are  quite  strong  enough  to  support  the  fruit 


PLANNING    THE    GARDEN 


until  it  is  perfectly  ripe,  when  it  drops  of  its  own 
accord,  and  thus  furnishes  a  sure  guide  for  its 
harvest.  Moreover,  melons  and  cucumbers  grown 
on  netting  are  far  more  attractive  in  appearance 
than  when  grown  on  the  ground,  as  they  are  not 
soiled,  stained,  discoloured,  or  rotted  by  contact 
with  the  earth.  The  difference  in  appearance  be- 
tween pickles  grown  on  netting  and  those  grown 
on  the  ground  is  marked  indeed,  the  former  being 
beautifully  green  and  bright,  and  if  they  were 
grown  in  sufficient  quantities  to  be  marketed,  there 
would  nothing  sell  against  them.  I  do  not  think 
they  bear  quite  as  freely  as  when  grown  on 
the  ground,  but  then  I  have  never  given  them  the 
extra  culture  that  would  produce  the  highest  re- 
sults. If  well  cultivated  throughout  the  season,  and 
watered  and  supplied  with  weekly  doses  of  liquid 
manure,  the  returns  would  doubtless  be  highly  sat- 
isfactory, and  this  extra  labour  would  be  far  less 
than  that  involved  in  gathering  the  fruit  from  the 
ground. 

The  back-yard  fence  of  an  ordinary  lot  will  fur- 
nish sufficient  room  for  the  growing  of  all  the 
vegetables  of  this  sort  needed  by  a  small  family, 

and  a  strip  about  three  feet  wide  should  be  spaded 

[25] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


along  the  fence  and  thoroughly  manured;  after- 
wards it  will  be  well  to  mix  a  large  spadeful  of 
manure  and  a  spoonful  of  phosphate  in  each  hill 
prepared  for  cucumbers,  melons,  or  squash.  Be- 
tween these  hills,  which  will  be  from  four  to  six 
feet  apart,  beets  for  early  greens,  radishes,  lettuce, 
string  beans,  early  peas,  onions  for  use  green,  corn 
salad,  mustard,  endive,  spinach,  parsley,  and  any 
herbs  may  be  planted,  as  most  of  these  things  are 
of  quick  growth  and  are  usually  planted  for  a  suc- 
cession throughout  the  summer  at  intervals  of  a 
few  weeks,  and  where  the  space  does  not  admit  of 
but  two  or  three  varieties,  those  which  mature 
early  should  be  planted  first,  and  when  they  have 
been  used  the  ground  may  be  cleared  and  a  fall 
crop  started. 

By  planning  to  use  such  available  space  for 
these  early  things,  they  are  gotten  out  of  the  way 
of  the  main  crop  and  the  garden  proper  left  for 
things  which  require  the  entire  season  to  mature. 

A  good  broad  path  will  be  advisable  down 
through  the  centre  of  the  garden  for  convenience 
in  working,  and  a  narrower  one  along  the  sides,  if 
this  part  is  to  be  planted  as  suggested.  It  will  be 
more  convenient  in  cultivating  if  the  lines  of  vege- 

[26] 


PLANNING    THE    GARDEN 


tables  run  straight  across  the  garden.  This  is  espe- 
cially to  be  advised  if  an  attempt  to  use  a  horse  in 
caring  for  it  is  to  be  made,  and  even  where  the 
work  is  to  be  done  with  a  hand  cultivator  this  will 
be  the  most  economical  arrangement  of  space  and 
labour. 

If  the  land  runs  east  and  west  the  taller  plantings 
should  be  on  the  north,  so  that  the  light  will  not  be 
shut  off  from  the  lower  growing  vegetables.  Corn 
grows  so  much  taller  than  anything  else  cultivated 
that  it  should,  if  possible,  be  placed  in  the  rear. 
In  front  of  it  the  few  hills  of  early  potatoes  which 
it  is  possible  to  grow  on  a  city  lot  may  be  planted, 
as  they  are  the  least  ornamental  of  vegetables. 

Cabbage  and  cauliflowers  grow  of  correspond- 
ing height,  and  may  be  planted  side  by  side  and 
given  the  same  treatment.  Tomatoes  may  follow 
the  potatoes,  and  so  on  in  the  order  of  height  until 
the  front  of  the  garden  is  reached,  and  such  orna- 
mental vegetables  as  remain  may  be  placed. 

The  accompanying  diagram  will  be  of  assistance, 
and  is  quite  possible  for  an  ordinary  lot  of  twelve 
rods  by  four,  allowing  eight  rods  of  the  rear  of  the 
lot  for  the  growing  of  vegetables. 

It  is  not  intended,  however,  that  any  one  should 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


follow  this  chart  arbitrarily;  it  is  merely  suggest- 
ive, and  many  of  the  vegetables  indicated  may  be 
discarded  and  more  of  others  planted  to  take  their 
place,  or  a  rod  or  two  at  the  rear  may  be  devoted 
to  the  growing  of  small  fruit — red  and  blackcap 
raspberries,  or  currants,  gooseberries,  or  even  a 
small  strawberry  bed. 


Corn,  18  hills 

Corn,  18  hills 

IOO 
112 

54 

108 
72 

72 

L 

L 
L 

L 

I 

o 
R 

R 
R 
R 

lt 

« 

i  pint  seed 

i  pint  seed 

Potatoes,  28  hills 

Potatoes,  28  hills 

i  peck  seed 

i  peck  seed 

Cabbage,  18  plants 

Cauliflower,  18  plants 

(( 

,, 

(l 

(( 

Tomatoes,  18  plants 

Tomatoes,  18  plants 

,< 

,, 

,, 

,< 

Peppers,  18  plants 

Peppers,  18  plants 

,« 

ts 

Egg  Plants,  18  plants 

Egg  Plants,  18  plants 

,  , 

,, 

Carrots 

Carrots 

Carrots,  i  oz.  seed 

Carrots,  i  oz.  seed 

Salsify,  i  oz.  seed 

Salsify,  i  oz.  seed 

Parsnips,  i  oz.  seed 

Parsnips,  i  oz.  seed 

Parsley 

Parsley 

L— Lettuce       R— Radishes 
B— Beets  S— Salsify 


This  leaves  room  for  several 
rows  of  fruit  and  a  generous 
asparagus  bed  in  the  rear. 


OF  THE 


LIQUID   MANURE   IS   ONE   OF   THE   BEST   ACTING   FERTILISERS 


CHAPTER    FOUR 
HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


1  HE  soil  is  a  working  laboratory  in  which 
chemical  reactions  are  constantly  going  on,  mak- 
ing the  various  elements  available  as  plant  food. 
In  order  that  a  piece  of  land  shall  produce  a  profit- 
able crop,  as  much  depends  upon  the  mechanical 
condition  of  the  soil  as  upon  the  various  chemical 
elements  that  it  contains  which  go  to  make  up  the 
structure  of  the  plants  grown  upon  it.  Soil  is  made 
up  of  disintegrated  rock  and  decayed  vegetable 
matter,  but  if  it  were  rock  alone  it  could  not  sup- 
port plant  life,  at  least  the  highly  organised  plant 
life  upon  which  we  depend  for  food.  In  order  to 
support  plant  life  it  must  have  humus,  decayed 
vegetable,  and  animal  matter.  Virgin  soil  contains 
enough  humus  to  make  possible  all  the  necessary 
chemical  changes  to  produce  sufficient  plant  food, 
but  unless  the  soil  is  carefully  cultivated  and  atten- 
tion paid  to  the  replenishing  of  it  the  supply  of 

[29] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


humus  is  in  great  danger  of  becoming  exhausted, 
and  the  soil  is  then  said  to  be  "  worn  out." 

Humus  is  the  black  or  brown  material  which 
gives  the  dark  colour  to  the  top  ten  or  twelve 
inches  of  soil.  Added  to  the  soil,  humus  increases  its 
water-holding  capacity,  thereby  insuring  a  more 
constant  soil  moisture.  It  aids  in  the  decomposi- 
tion of  the  mineral  matter  by  harbouring  bacteria 
which  convert  unavailable  forms  into  a  condition 
in  which  it  can  be  assimilated  by  plants.  It  fixes 
the  ammonia,  which  contains  nitrogen,  in  the  soil, 
so  that  it  is  not  leached  out  by  rains,  and  it  im- 
proves the  mechanical  condition  of  the  soil  by  keep- 
ing it  loose  and  free,  permitting  aeration. 

The  natural  supply  of  humus  comes  from  the 
decaying  leaves  and  wood  of  the  forest,  but  as  soon 
as  the  forests  are  removed  and  the  land  cultivated 
this  supply  is  cut  off.  It  can  be  renewed,  however, 
by  giving  the  land  periodical  dressings  of  stable 
manure,  green  manure,  or  peat  or  swamp-muck. 
These  last  two  are  not  always  available,  and  when 
they  are,  it  is  doubtful  if  they  can  be  economically 
applied  to  land  on  account  of  the  cost  of  hauling 
and  spreading. 

Stable  manure  is  undoubtedly  the  best  form  in 
[30] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


which  to  supply  humus,  because  the  soil  is  receiv- 
ing at  the  same  time  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid,  and 
potash,  the  three  most  important  elements  in  plant 
foods.  It  is  vegetable  matter  that  has  been  partly 
digested  by  animals  and  is  in  a  condition  to  be 
more  quickly  assimilated  by  plants  than  is  a  green 
manure. 

Green  manure  is  supplied  by  growing  a  crop  of 
clover,  or  other  leguminous  plants,  or  rye,  and 
turning  it  under.  I  have  seen  comparatively  un- 
productive sandy  soils  from  which  nitrogen  was 
leached  out  by  rains  as  fast  as  it  could  be  supplied, 
brought  into  good  tilth  and  produce  large  crops 
by  its  use.  In  the  small  garden,  where  one  cannot 
afford  to  lose  the  time  necessary  to  do  this,  as  it 
is  done  in  large  farming  operations,  rye  or  clover 
can  be  sown  in  the  fall  as  soon  as  the  vegetable 
crops  have  been  removed,  or  between  the  rows  at 
the  last  cultivation  of  such  crops  as  corn,  and  what- 
ever growth  has  been  turned  under  at  the  time  of 
spring  ploughing.  I  have  seen  this  done  with  good 
results  on  small  areas. 

The  clovers  and  other  leguminous  crops  are  the 
best  green  manures  because  of  their  ability  to 

absorb  and  fix  free  atmospheric  nitrogen.  If  you 

[31] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


were  to  dig  up  carefully  a  clover  plant  and  wash 
away  the  soil  you  would  find  many  little  nodules 
on  the  roots.  These  little  bunches  contain  bacteria, 
and  it  is  these  little  bacteria  which  collect  and  con- 
vert the  free  atmospheric  nitrogen  into  an  avail- 
able form  for  plants  to  use.  Long  before  the  value 
of  these  little  nodules  was  recognised  it  was  a  known 
fact  that  good  crops  of  beans  could  be  produced 
on  land  that  could  not  grow  a  profitable  crop  of 
anything  else.  These  bacteria  made  it  possible.  In 
the  North  the  common  red  clover  and  rye  are  the 
best  crops  to  grow  for  green  manure.  The  rye  is 
not  a  legume  and  cannot  fix  atmospheric  nitrogen, 
but  it  makes  a  heavy  growth  of  foliage,  producing 
when  turned  under  a  good  amount  of  humus. 
From  New  Jersey  south  to  Georgia  the  crimson 
clover  will  make  a  good  stand  and  survive  the 
winter.  It  can  be  sown  any  time  from  July  to 
September;  the  earlier  date  is  for  the  northern 
portion  of  this  territory.  The  vetches  and  cow  peas 
have  also  proven  to  be  valuable  green  manures. 

With  the  exception  of  corn  and  potatoes,  crops 
do  not  usually  do  well  on  land  which  has  just  had 
a  green  crop  turned  under,  because  of  the  acidity 

produced  by  the  fermentation.  Let  the  land  lay 

[32] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


for  about  six  weeks  before  planting  and  frequently 
harrow  it  to  compact  the  soil. 

There  are  fourteen  different  chemical  elements 
that  are  necessary  for  plant  growth — namely,  car- 
bon, hydrogen,  oxygen,  nitrogen,  phosphorus, 
sulphur,  chlorine,  silicon,  calcium,  iron,  potassium, 
sodium,  magnesium,  and  manganese.  The  first 
four  are  derived  either  directly  or  indirectly  from 
the  air,  the  remaining  ten  are  derived  from  the 
soil.  Virgin  soil  contains  all  these  soil-derived  ele- 
ments in  available  forms  and  in  sufficient  quanti- 
ties for  plant  growth,  and  it  has  the  ability  to 
absorb  the  air-derived  elements,  but  our  methods 
of  agriculture  rob  the  soil  of  some  of  its  elements 
faster  than  it  can  convert  them  into  available  form 
for  the  plants.  Therefore  we  must  supply  these 
elements  in  order  to  produce  good  crops. 

The  best  way  of  renewing  these  necessary  ele- 
ments is  by  dressings  of  stable  manure — the  drop- 
pings from  horses,  cows,  and  other  domestic  ani- 
mals. Soil  enriched  by  barn-yard  manure  will  yield 
better  crops  than  soil  which  has  been  given  chem- 
ical fertilisers  containing  an  equal  amount  of  plant 
food.  Whether  the  manure  shall  be  fresh  or  well 

rotted  depends  upon  the  conditions.   The  fertil- 

[33] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ising  constituents  of  well-decayed  manure  are  more 
quickly  available  to  the  plants  than  are  those  in 
fresh  manure,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  fresh  manure 
soon  rots  and  the  fermentation  of  decay  assists 
in  rendering  soluble  hitherto  insoluble  fertilising 
constituents  of  the  soil.  If  the  chief  object  of  ap- 
plying the  manure  is  to  improve  the  mechanical 
condition  of  the  soil,  the  greatest  benefit  will  be 
had  by  giving  fresh  manure  to  heavy  clay  loams 
and  well-decayed  manure  to  light,  sandy  loams. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  quick  action  is  wanted, 
greater  benefit  will  be  received  under  ordinary  con- 
ditions from  fresh  manure  on  light  soil  than  on 
heavy  clay  loam.  On  heavy  soil  decomposition 
takes  place  slowly,  so  it  is  some  time  before  the 
plant  food  becomes  available.  Often  there  is  no 
immediate  effect  the  first  year.  In  light  soil,  un- 
less the  season  is  very  dry,  the  fertilising  constit- 
uents of  fresh  manure  become  available  about  as 
fast  as  the  plant  is  in  need  of  them.  There  is  dan- 
ger of  leaching  away  of  the  nitrogen  before  it  can 
be  used  by  the  plants  if  well-decayed  manure  is 
applied  to  sandy  loams.  On  clay  loams  there  is 
no  danger  of  this,  because  of  their  ability  to  absorb 

and  retain  large  quantities  of  plant  food. 

[34] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


The  amount  to  apply  varies  with  the  crop 
grown,  but  for  ordinary  garden  crops  as  much  as 
twenty  tons  per  acre,  or  about  one  two-horse  load 
to  a  25  X  100-foot  plot,  can  be  used;  one-half  to 
two-thirds  of  this  amount  will  give  fair  results, 
however,  and  larger  amounts  are  often  used  by 
"  truck  "  growers.  This  must  be  thoroughly  mixed 
with  the  soil  by  ploughing  under  and  harrowing 
before  the  crop  is  planted. 

It  is  often  the  case  that  the  soil  does  not  need  a 
complete  fertiliser,  for  only  one  of  the  three  im- 
portant plant  foods — nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash — is  lacking.  If  such  is  the  case,  it  can  be 
easily  supplied  by  one  of  the  various  chemical  fer- 
tilisers on  the  market. 

Before  applying  these  highly  concentrated 
chemical  fertilisers  I  would  strongly  advise  your 
testing  the  soil  to  find  out  just  what  is  needed.  To 
do  it  divide  the  garden  into  strips,  say  ten  feet 
wide,  and  on  every  other  strip  apply  these  special 
fertilisers,  one  to  a  strip,  in  various  quantities  and 
watch  the  results.  One  test  will  probably  be  suffi- 
cient to  give  the  information  desired. 

Nitrogen  is  the  most  expensive  of  the  three  es- 
sential elements  required  by  plants.  It  can  be  had 

[35] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


in  three  different  forms,  organic  nitrogen,  as  am- 
monia, and  in  nitrates.  The  most  valuable  sources 
of  organic  nitrogen  are  dried  blood  and  tankage, 
which  are  by-products  of  slaughter  houses,  dried 
fish,  and  refuse  from  fish  canneries  and  oil  fac- 
tories, and  cotton-seed  meal.  These  contain  in  every 
one  hundred  pounds  of  bulk  the  following  amount 
(approximately)  of  nitrogen:  dried  blood,  ten  to 
fifteen;  tankage,  seven  to  nine;  dried  fish,  seven  to 
eight ;  cotton-seed  meal,  six  to  seven.  All  these  sub- 
stances decay  rapidly  upon  being  put  in  the  soil, 
but  not  so  quickly  but  that  they  can  be  made  use 
of  by  the  plant  as  soon  as  they  become  available. 
They  are  particularly  valuable  on  light  soils,  from 
which  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  ammonia  or  nitrates 
are  rapidly  leached,  and  they  have  the  further  ad- 
vantage of  making  available  during  the  process 
of  fermentation  insoluble  forms  of  phosphoric  acid 
and  potash.  They  also  furnish  small  quantities  of 
phosphoric  acid.  Cotton  seed  or  cotton-seed  meal 
is  not  used  in  the  North  to  any  extent  as  a  fertiliser, 
but  in  the  South  it  is  a  cheap  form  of  nitrogen.  It 
can  be  applied  alone  or  in  combination  with  chem- 
ical fertilisers.  It  contains  about  seven  per  cent  of 

nitrogen  and  three  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid 

[36] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


and  two  per  cent  of  potash.  About  sixty  bushels 
per  acre  of  the  green  seed  or  its  equivalent  of 
meal,  together  with  about  one  thousand  pounds  of 
a  complete  fertiliser,  will  be  a  good  dressing  for 
the  garden. 

Nitrogen  in  the  form  of  ammonia  is  derived 
almost  exclusively  from  sulphate  of  ammonia,  the 
commercial  product  containing  about  twenty  per 
cent.  This  form  of  nitrogen  is  easily  converted  in 
the  soil  to  nitrate,  the  form  in  which  it  is  used  by 
plants,  but  before  being  converted  it  will  readily 
combine  with  the  soil  becoming  fixed,  so  that  there 
is  no  danger  of  its  leaching.  This  quality  makes 
it  very  valuable  for  light,  sandy  loams  and  for 
use  in  wet  seasons,  when  nitrate  of  soda  would 
leach  from  the  soil  rapidly. 

The  commonest  form  of  commercial  nitrogen  is 
nitrate  of  soda,  which  contains  about  15.5  per 
cent  of  nitrogen.  Nitrate  of  soda  dissolves  at 
once  upon  being  put  in  the  soil;  it  has  a  strong 
affinity  for  water.  In  this  form  the  nitrogen  is  at 
once  available  to  the  plants.  As  it  is  so  soluble, 
there  is  danger  of  its  being  leached  from  the  soils, 
especially  sandy  soils,  if  more  is  given  than  the 

plants  can  use  in  a  short  time. 

[37] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Phosphorus  is  used  by  plants  in  the  form  of 
phosphoric  acid,  and  there  are  several  forms  in 
which  it  can  be  had.  The  organic  forms  of  nitrogen, 
which  I  have  mentioned,  contain  a  little  phosphoric 
acid.  The  most  common  and  most  highly  con- 
centrated form  of  phosphoric  acid  on  the  market 
now  is  superphosphates,  or  soluble  phosphates. 
These  are  derived  from  the  phosphate  rock  se- 
cured in  South  Carolina,  Florida,  and  Tennessee. 
They  are  seldom  used  in  their  natural  state,  be- 
cause but  little  of  the  phosphoric  acid  in  them  is 
available  as  plant  food.  It  is  made  available  by 
grinding  and  treating  with  sulphuric  acid.  These 
treated  phosphate  rocks  contain  twenty-five  to 
thirty  per  cent  of  available  phosphoric  acid. 

Thomas  slag,  a  by-product  in  the  manufacture 
of  steel,  has  been  used  frequently  as  a  source  of 
phosphoric  acid,  but  as  the  supply  is  limited  it 
cannot  always  be  obtained.  It  contains  about 
nineteen  or  twenty  per  cent  of  available  phos- 
phoric acid  and  six  or  seven  per  cent  which  is  in- 
soluble in  soil  water. 

Bone  contains  a  great  deal  of  phosphoric  acid — 
about  twenty-two  per  cent — and  it  also  contains 

about  four  per  cent  of  nitrogen.  Bone  can  be  se- 

[38] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


cured  in  several  different  forms,  such  as  raw, 
boiled  or  steamed,  and  fine  bone.  Upon  its  con- 
dition when  applied  to  the  land  will  depend  the 
rapidity  with  which  it  will  become  available  to  the 
plants.  All  the  phosphoric  acid  in  raw,  broken 
bone  will  not  become  available  and  used  up  by 
the  plants  in  less  than  four  years,  because  the  fat 
retards  decay.  For  this  reason  the  bone  is  steamed 
and  ground,  and  in  this  condition  all  the  phos- 
phoric acid  will  have  become  available  in  about 
two  years.  In  steamed  bone  there  is  less  nitrogen, 
however,  because  some  of  the  organic  material  con- 
taining it  is  removed  by  the  process. 

Other  forms  of  bone  which  are  sometimes  used 
as  fertilisers  are  bone-black  and  bone-ash.  They  are 
much  less  valuable,  because  in  their  preparation  by 
burning  all  the  organic  matter  is  driven  off,  there- 
fore they  contain  no  nitrogen,  and  it  lessens  the 
amount  of  phosphoric  acid  somewhat. 

Tankage  is  the  only  other  material  containing 
phosphoric  acid  which  is  sufficiently  common  in 
the  trade  to  warrant  consideration.  The  fertilising 
content  of  tankage  varies  according  to  what  it 
is  made  from;  the  higher  its  percentage  of  phos- 
phoric acid  the  less  nitrogen  it  contains  and  vice 

[39] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


versa.  At  present  there  are  five  different  grades 
on  the  market  containing  anywhere  from  seven 
to  nineteen  or  twenty  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid. 
Its  price  also  varies  according  to  its  contents. 

When  soluble  phosphoric  acid  is  added  to  the 
soil  it  becomes  "  fixed  "  or  insoluble  by  combining 
with  lime,  making  lime  phosphate,  or  by  uniting 
with  iron  or  alumina.  The  former  is  the  most  desir- 
able form,  as  the  phosphoric  acid  in  lime  phos- 
phate is  more  readily  reconverted  into  available 
forms  for  plant  use  by  the  fermentation  of  organic 
material  in  the  soil  than  are  the  phosphates  of  iron 
and  alumina.  Therefore,  to  insure  the  formation  of 
lime  phosphate,  it  is  necessary  that  the  soil  should 
be  well  supplied  with  lime  and  humus. 

The  other  element,  potash,  which  it  is  necessary 
to  add  to  the  soil  is  derived  mainly  from  muriate 
or  chloride  of  potash,  sulphate  of  potash,  and 
unleached  hardwood  ashes.  Most  of  the  potash, 
other  than  the  ashes,  comes  from  mines  in  Ger- 
many. Sulphate  of  potash  is  a  much  better  form 
to  use  because  the  chlorides  in  muriate  of  potash 
seem  to  have  an  unfavourable  effect  on  crops. 
This  is  particularly  true  of  tobacco  and  potatoes. 

Kainit  is  frequently  offered  and  sold  by  dealers. 

[40] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


Its  potash  is  in  the  form  of  sulphates,  but  as  it 
contains  large  quantities  of  chlorides  mixed  with 
it,  it  has  the  same  general  effect  on  plants  as  muri- 
ate of  potash. 

High-grade  sulphate  of  potash  contains  forty- 
eight  to  fifty-one  per  cent  of  potash,  low  grade 
twenty-eight  to  thirty  per  cent,  kainit  twelve  to 
fourteen  per  cent,  muriate  of  potash  (eighty  to 
eighty-five  per  cent  pure),  fifty  to  fifty-three  per 
cent,  and  unleached  wood  ashes  four  to  eight  per 
cent.  Never  use  leached-wood  ashes  as  a  direct 
fertiliser,  as  they  usually  contain  but  a  small  per- 
centage of  potash. 

When  muriate  of  potash  is  used  the  chlorides 
combine  with  the  lime,  forming  chloride  of  lime, 
which  is  very  soluble  and  leaches  away  rapidly,  a 
distinct  disadvantage,  and  it  makes  applications  of 
lime  necessary.  Further,  the  presence  of  large 
quantities  of  chloride  of  lime  in  soil  is  apt  to  be 
detrimental  to  plants. 

Greater  effect  is  had  from  the  use  of  these  pot- 
ash fertilisers  on  light,  sandy  soils,  humus  soils,  or 
those  containing  lime,  than  on  heavy  clay  loams. 
On  the  light  soils,  to  get  the  full  value  of  the 

potash  applied,  there  should  be  in  it  considerable 

[41] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

lime.  Without  the  lime  the  soluble  potash  leaches 
out  rapidly. 

I  have  described  these  different  fertilising  ele- 
ments at  some  length  in  order  that  if  the  reader 
desires  to  mix  his  own  fertilisers  he  will  know  what 
each  contains.  Unless  one  uses  only  a  small  quan- 
tity of  these  commercial  fertilisers  it  is  a  distinct 
advantage  in  point  of  cost  to  do  the  mixing  at 
home  rather  than  to  buy  the  ready-mixed  materials. 
Not  only  is  it  necessary  to  pay  the  manufacturer 
for  mixing  them,  but  you  also  pay  freight  on 
earth,  which  is  always  added  to  these  ready-made 
fertilisers  as  fillers.  Another  distinct  advantage  of 
home-mixed  fertilisers  is  that  the  ingredients  can 
be  varied  according  to  the  needs  of  plants  grown 
and  the  condition  of  the  soil. 

For  an  average  soil,  on  which  the  ordinary  gar- 
den crops — beets,  cabbage,  cucumbers,  celery,  to- 
matoes, etc. — are  being  grown,  a  fertiliser  com- 
pounded as  follows  will  give  good  results: 

Nitrate  of  soda 50  pounds 

Sulphate  of  ammonia 100  pounds 

Dried  blood 150  pounds 

Acid  phosphate 550  pounds 

Muriate  of  potash 150  pounds 

[42] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


An  equal  amount  of  sulphate  of  potash  can  be 
supplemented  for  the  muriate  of  potash  if  that 
form  is  best  for  the  crop. 

This  is  enough  for  the  spring  application  to 
one  acre,  but  it  should  be  supplemented  by  two 
or  three  dressings  of  nitrate  of  soda  at  intervals 
during  the  season,  giving  about  one  hundred  to 
two  hundred  pounds  each  time. 

The  formula  just  given  reduced  to  amounts  for 
a  small  area,  say  a  25  X  100-foot  plot,  would  be 

Nitrate  of  soda 2%  pounds 

Sulphate  of  ammonia 5       pounds 

Dried  blood 7%  pounds 

Acid  phosphate 27%  pounds 

Muriate  of  potash 7%  pounds 

and  the  subsequent  dressings  of  nitrate  of  soda 
would  be  five  to  ten  pounds  each. 

The  ingredients  of  this  formula  may  be  changed ; 
for  instance,  if  bone  meal  is  more  accessible,  an 
equal  amount  can  be  substituted  for  the  acid  phos- 
phate, but  the  phosphoric  acid  will  not  be  so  quick- 
ly available. 

When   mixing    fertilisers    great    care   must   be 

taken    to    evenly    distribute    all    the    ingredients 

[43] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GERDEN 


through  the  mixture.  This  is  best  done  by  putting 
them  in  a  pile  in  layers  and  then  throwing  them 
into  another  pile.  Always  shovel  from  the  bot- 
tom of  the  pile,  throwing  the  material  on  the  top 
of  the  second  pile.  Three  or  four  turnings  will  be 
necessary  to  thoroughly  incorporate  all  the  in- 
gredients. 

All  these  substances  which  I  have  mentioned  are 
direct  fertilisers,  but  there  are  soils  from  which 
the  full  value  of  these  cannot  be  had  without  the 
use  of  a  stimulant  or  indirect  fertiliser.  Lime  and 
land  plaster  or  gypsum  are  used  for  this  purpose. 

The  reasons  for  the  liming  land  are:  First, 
that  sour  or  acid  soils  must  be  neutralised  or  made 
slightly  alkaline,  because  the  bacteria  which  con- 
vert the  organic  forms  of  nitrogen  into  the  forms 
of  nitrates  cannot  thrive  in  acid  soils.  Second,  used 
in  small  quantities,  it  will  bind  loose,  sandy  soils. 
Third,  it  will  flocculate  stiff  clayey  soils,  making 
the  passage  of  water  through  them  easier,  lessen- 
ing the  tendency  to  wash,  and  permitting  better 
aeration.  Fourth,  in  holding  the  potash  compounds, 
as  already  described,  and  overcoming  the  bad  effect 
of  potash  salts  containing  chlorides. 

There  are  other  lesser  reasons  which  it  is  not 
[44] 


HOW    TO    MAINTAIN    FERTILITY 


necessary  to  discuss  here.  Gypsum  is  just  as  good 
as  lime  for  all  these  reasons  excepting  the  correc- 
tion of  soil  acidity. 

To  determine  if  the  soil  is  sour,  one  of  two 
methods  can  be  used. 

Take  a  fair  sample  of  the  soil  and  mix  enough 
water  with  it  to  make  the  mass  the  consistency  of 
thin  mortar,  then  embed  in  it  a  strip  of  blue  litmus 
paper.  Allow  it  to  stand  half  an  hour  or  more,  and 
then,  if  the  paper  has  turned  pink,  you  will  know 
that  the  soil  is  in  need  of  lime. 

Another  way  is  to  place  a  tablespoonful  of  soil 
in  a  glassful  of  water  and  a  teaspoonful  of  weak 
ammonia.  If,  after  standing  several  hours,  the 
liquid  becomes  dark-brown  or  black,  it  is  an  indi- 
cation of  soil  acidity. 

The  amount  of  lime  necessary  will  vary  accord- 
ing to  the  soil.  Light,  sandy  loams  will  not  need 
more  than  500  pounds  per  acre,  twenty-five  pounds 
for  a  plot  25  X  100  feet,  but  when  applied  to 
heavy  clay  loams,  as  much  as  5,000  or  6,000 
pounds  can  be  used,  250  to  300  pounds  on  a 
25  X  100-foot  plot.  These  applications  of  lime  do 
not  need  to  be  made  oftener  than  once  in  five  to 

seven  years, 

[45] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


For  heavy,  mucky  soils,  like  freshly  drained 
marshes,  fresh-burnt  lime  may  be  used  to  good  ad- 
vantage, but  in  most  cases  slacked  lime,  which  has 
been  exposed  to  the  weather  for  some  time,  is 
better.  A  common  way  in  some  parts  of  the  coun- 
try is  to  bury  the  lime  in  soil  in  the  fall  and  dis- 
tribute it  the  following  spring.  The  lime  must 
be  evenly  distributed  and  then  harrowed  in.  This 
should  take  place  several  weeks  before  planting 
the  crop,  for  if  done  immediately  before  seeding, 
the  seeds  are  very  apt  to  be  injured. 

Wood  ashes  contain  about  thirty-four  per  cent 
of  lime.  These  can  be  used  to  good  effect  on  sandy 
or  acid  soils. 


[46] 


CHAPTER    FIVE 

THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOT- 
BEDS,   COLDFRAMES,    AND    PITS 


1  o  attempt  to  garden  without  the  aid  of  a  well- 
equipped  and  constructed  hotbed  is  to  put  one  at 
a  disadvantage  in  the  beginning  of  the  season — a 
disadvantage  which  strenuous  effort  and  the  most 
favourable  of  seasons  will  rarely  compensate  one 
for,  as  a  well-stocked  and  successful  hotbed  will 
supply  the  garden  with  an  immense  amount  of 
plants  of  the  most  desirable  varieties  at  the  mini- 
mum of  cost  and  at  just  the  season  that  they  will 
be  needed. 

The  possession  of  a  hotbed  greatly  advances  the 
garden  season,  as  the  seed  may  be  planted  and  the 
plants  brought  to  a  suitable  size  for  planting  out 
by  the  time  that,  lacking  this  convenience,  the  seed 
would  be  going  into  the  open  ground.  This  ad- 
vances the  season  some  six  weeks,  and  makes  an 
appreciable  difference  in  the  maturing  of  plants 

and  vegetables. 

[47] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


There  has  long  been  a  feeling  among  the  uniniti- 
ated that  hotbeds,  coldframes,  and  the  like  are  con- 
veniences reserved  for  the  professional  florist,  the 
fortunate  few  who  possess  a  gardener,  or  are  other- 
wise favoured  by  fortune.  Nothing  could  be  more 
mistaken  than  this  idea.  The  construction  and  care 
of  the  hotbed  is  so  simple  and,  in  its  simpler  forms, 
so  inexpensive  as  to  be  within  the  reach  of  the  gar- 
dener whose  little  plot  of  land  comprises  but  a  few 
square  yards  of  ground,  while  at  the  same  time  its 
capacity  may  be  extended  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  the  most  extensive  estate  or  commercial  plant. 

Primarily,  it  consists  of  a  receptacle  where  bot- 
tom heat  can  be  supplied  and  plants  grown  at  a 
time  when  the  weather  is  too  cold  for  the  carrying 
on  of  gardening  operations  in  the  open  ground; 
where  protection  may  be  supplied  against  the  ele- 
ments and  the  conditions  governing  plant  growth 
held  in  control. 

The  manner  in  which  this  is  done  will  depend 
largely  upon  the  length  of  the  purse,  the  results 
will  be  the  same  whether  it  be  a  small  hotbed  or  a 
large  one. 

There  is  so  much  questionable  information  float- 
ing around  in  the  magazines  and  papers  anent  the 

[48] 


OF  "HE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


proper  time  for  starting  the  hotbed  that  a  little 
discussion  on  this  point  may  not  be  amiss  at  this 
time.  I  noticed  an  article  recently  in  which  it  was 
stated  that  the  middle  of  February  was  the  proper 
time  in  which  to  start  the  hotbed.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  there  are  certain  sections  of  the  country  in 
which  the  hotbed  may,  with  advantage,  be  started 
as  early  as  February,  but  they  will  not  be  found 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  Chicago,  Detroit,  or 
anywhere  much  north  of  Philadelphia.  There  is  no 
amount  of  heating  material  which  may  be  put  into 
a  hotbed  pit,  or  any  devised  covering  which  will 
keep  the  frost  out  of  a  hotbed  when  the  tempera- 
ture is  loafing  around  in  the  vicinity  of  zero  for 
a  stretch  of  several  days  at  a  time,  as  it  is  prone  to 
do  in  February  at  the  North.  Nor  would  there  be 
any  practical  reason  for  this  early  starting  of  the 
beds  were  it  possible  for  them  to  be  kept  free  from 
frost  and  the  plants  in  a  growing  condition,  which 
the  necessity  of  covering  with  rags  and  things 
which  shut  out  air  and  light  for  days  at  a  time, 
would  render  impossible. 

The  prime  object  in  the  use  of  a  hotbed  is  to 
have  plants  ready  for  setting  out  in  the  open 
ground  as  soon  as  the  weather  is  favourable;  this 

[49] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


will  not  be,  in  the  case  of  most  plants,  until  all 
danger  of  frost  is  passed.  This  period  varies  ac- 
cording to  location;  in  the  vicinity  of  Detroit  and 
Chicago  it  may  be  generally  calculated  as  from 
April  1st  to  about  May  20th,  and  throughout  the 
country  at  large  it  may  be  generally  accepted  as 
the  average  "  corn-planting  time."  Such  seeds  as 
radishes,  beets,  onions  for  transplanting,  celery, 
etc.,  should  be  planted  as  soon  as  April  1st,  and 
plants  of  cabbage,  lettuce,  etc.,  should  be  ready 
to  go  into  the  open  ground  by  April  20th.  It  will 
then  be  seen  that  it  is  necessary  to  start  the  hot- 
beds early  enough  to  get  the  plants  sufficiently 
advanced  to  plant  out  when  the  right  season  has 
come. 

Seeds  of  some  plants  require  much  less  time  to 
germinate  than  do  others,  and  such  seeds  may  be 
planted  nearer  corn-planting  time  than  the  others. 
Generally  speaking,  about  six  weeks,  or  at  the 
most  two  months,  should  be  allowed  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  plant;  so  if  we  accept  May  20th 
as  a  safe  time  for  this  operation,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  first  of  March,  and  not  much  earlier,  is  a  good 
and  practical  time  for  getting  the  hotbed  in  com- 
mission. And  very  satisfactory  results  may  be  se- 

[50] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


cured  by  starting  as  late  as  the  first  or  even  the 
middle  of  April,  as  at  that  time  the  weather  is  mild 
enough  for  the  sash  to  be  raised  a  considerable  part 
of  the  day,  giving  the  plants  abundance  of  fresh 
air,  which  makes  for  robust  plants. 

Plants  which  are  left  in  the  hotbeds  even  a  few 
days  longer  than  necessary  are  apt  to  be  injured. 
For  one  thing,  they  become  crowded  and  spindly 
and  their  roots  penetrate  below  the  soil  into  the 
crude,  heated  manure  and  are  injured;  they  be- 
come matted  and  must  be  separated,  and  more  or 
less  injury  results  in  the  process,  all  of  which 
would  be  avoided  if  the  plants  could  go  into  the 
ground  as  soon  as  they  are  ready. 

Next  in  importance  in  the  starting  of  the  hot- 
bed is  the  location;  this  will  depend  largely  upon 
the  arrangement  of  the  grounds  and  buildings, 
and  I  can  only  point  out  the  most  desirable  condi- 
tions. 

The  location  should  be  the  warmest  at  com- 
mand and  one  which  will  receive  the  greatest 
amount  of  sunshine.  It  should  be  on  the  south  side 
of  a  building  or  high-board  fence,  and  should  have 
some  protection  from  rough  west  winds  if  possi- 
ble. It  should  be  easily  accessible  from  the  house, 

[51] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


as  the  beds  will  require  frequent  and  often  sudden 
attention. 

The  lay  of  the  land  should  afford  good  drain- 
age, so  that  the  water  will  not  settle  back  against 
the  beds;  this  is  of  special  importance  where  the 
beds  are  to  be  used  as  coldframes  for  the  carrying 
of  plants  through  the  winter. 

Where  the  drainage  is  at  all  faulty  it  will  be 
well  to  construct  a  drain  in  one  corner  of  the  beds 
by  digging  a  hole  and  setting  a  porous  tile  therein, 
or  filling  with  broken  crocks,  gravel,  or  other  rough 
material.  The  opening  should  be  flush  with  the 
surface  of  the  soil,  or  slightly  lower,  and  be  cov- 
ered with  sphagnum  moss  or  a  piece  of  sod,  laid 
grass-side  down,  to  prevent  the  soil  working  in 
and  filling  the  drain.  This  will  carry  off  any  sur- 
face water  that  might  accidentally  find  its  way  into 
the  beds. 

But  where  the  hotbeds  are  to  be  used  the  year 
round  and  may  be  considered  permanent  construc- 
tions, it  will  be  well  to  begin  right  by  draining  the 
land  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  if  low,  or  by  haul- 
ing on  sufficient  earth  to  raise  the  grade  above  the 
danger  line.  Considerable  more  soil  will  be  thrown 

out  in  the  first  excavation  of  the  pits  than  will  be 

[52] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


returned  when  the  beds  are  made.  All  the  subsoil 
removed  may  be  used  to  raise  the  grade  of  the 
land  if  necessary,  and  where  the  same  site  is  used 
for  the  beds  from  year  to  year,  the  handling  of  the 
soil  as  it  is  thrown  in  each  year  will  aid  in  raising 
the  soil  in  the  vicinity  of  the  beds,  until  in  time  a 
good  natural  drainage  is  established. 

The  construction  of  the  hotbed  may  be  of  any 
building  material,  ranging  from  the  inexpensive 
frame  contrived  from  the  waste  lumber  about  the 
place  and  old  window  sash  to  florist's  sash  and 
walls  of  concrete,  brick,  and  cement  blocks,  the  last 
three  being  permanent  and  highly  satisfactory. 
These  permanent  frames  are  the  cheapest  in  the 
end. 

For  the  temporary  home  or  the  small  city  lot, 
where  it  is  desired  to  use  the  ground  for  other 
purposes,  once  the  hotbed  has  served  its  purpose, 
the  frame  construction  will  be  preferable;  in  the 
latter  case  it  may  consist  merely  of  a  frame  set  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground  and  removed  when  its 
usefulness  is  past;  this  forms  the  cheapest  and 
also  the  least  satisfactory  of  beds,  for,  while  it  an- 
swers the  practical  purposes  of  a  hotbed,  there  is 

nothing  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  protect 

[53] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


the  beds  from  the  incursions  of  vermin  of  various 
kinds — as  mice  and  moles,  two  mischievious  ene- 
mies of  the  hotbed  and  coldframe. 

The  size  of  the  beds  will  depend  upon  the  size 
of  the  sash  used.  If  the  frame  is  to  be  of  plank  and 
the  sash  discarded  window  sash,  which,  by  the  way, 
is  by  no  means  to  be  despised,  the  beds  will  be  of 
a  size  to  correspond.  It  will  always  be  found  an 
advantage  in  constructing  hotbeds,  especially  if  the 
beds  are  set  against  a  building  and  are  only  to  be 
approached  from  one  side,  to  have  them  of  a  size 
that  may  be  easily  reached  across,  as  nothing  is 
more  tiresome  and  unsatisfactory  than  to  try  to 
care  for  a  bed  too  wide  to  be  easily  reached  in  all 
of  its  parts.  Three  feet  will  be  as  wide  as  can  be 
conveniently  handled,  but  the  length  may  be  as 
long  as  desired. 

In  excavating  the  pit  for  the  frames  it  will  be 
found  a  convenience,  where  there  are  several  sash, 
for  the  pit  to  be  in  one  long  excavation,  the  neces- 
sary divisions  being  made  by  partitions  in  the 
frame  itself,  and  which  need  not  extend  below  the 
surface  of  the  ground;  these  partitions,  being  re- 
movable, may  be  lifted  in  the  spring,  when  the 

beds  are  to  be  made,  leaving  the  full  size  of  the 

[54] 


CONSTRUCTION  AND  CARE  OF  HOTBEDS 


pit  to  work  in,  and  will  be  found  to  require  far 
less  labour  than  to  attempt  the  excavation  of  a 
number  of  small  pits  in  restricted  quarters. 

The  pit  should  be  about  four  feet  deep  and  of 
a  size  to  readily  receive  the  frame,  and  the  sides 
of  the  pit  should  be  as  firm  and  even  as  may  be 
practicable;  the  bottom,  especially,  should  be  level 
and  hard,  but  no  artificial  bottom  is  required  or 
should  be  made.  In  constructing  the  frame,  four 
corner  posts,  of  any  rough  stuff,  two  by  four  inches 
in  diameter  and  long  enough  to  reach  from  the 
top  of  the  frame  to  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  should 
be  used,  the  posts  for  the  back  being  six  inches 
longer  than  those  for  the  front.  Upon  these  the 
planks,  which  should  be  of  good  size  and  of  clear 
lumber  that  is  free  from  knot-holes,  or,  if  these 
cannot  be  avoided,  they  should  be  masked  with 
pieces  of  tin  nailed  over  them,  so  as  to  effectually 
shut  out  vermin  of  all  kinds.  The  planks  should 
extend  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  two  feet 
six  inches  according  to  the  season,  though,  if  pre- 
ferred, they  may  extend  to  the  bottom  of  the  pit; 
but  this  is  not  really  necessary,  as  moles,  and  espe- 
cially mice,  rarely  enter  beds  at  a  lower  depth. 

The  proper  slant  may  be  given  the  top  by  saw- 
[55] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ing  a  nine-inch  board  in  two  on  the  bias  and  using 
one  section  for  an  end,  placing  the  boards  with 
the  sawn  side  down  and  nailing  through  the  thin 
ends  of  the  pieces  into  the  boards  below  and  also 
upon  the  corner  posts.  The  frame  should  extend 
above  the  ground  about  a  foot  in  the  front  and  a 
foot  and  a  half  at  the  back.  This  gives  the  proper 
slant  to  shed  rain,  and  also  gathers  the  greatest 
possible  amount  of  sunshine. 

The  back  of  the  frame  should  be  the  thickness 
of  the  sash  higher  than  the  sides  and  front,  if  the 
beds  are  set  close  to  a  building  or  wall,  in  order 
that  the  sash  may  fit  back  snugly  against  the  back 
of  the  frame,  where  they  may  be  attached  by 
hinges  and  so  raised  without  removing.  A  notched 
stick  should  be  fastened  at  the  front  or  sides  of 
the  frames  to  hold  the  sash  at  any  desired  height 
when  airing  them.  Where  two  or  more  sash  are 
used  and  it  may  be  desired  to  divide  the  bed  with 
partitions  in  order  that  plants  requiring  different 
conditions  of  temperature,  air,  or  moisture  may  be 
successfully  grown,  narrow  strips  of  wood  may  be 
nailed  to  the  back  and  front  of  the  partitions  at 
the  point  where  the  sash  meet,  and  about  an  inch 

and  a  quarter  apart;  into  these  inch  boards  may 

[56] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


be  slipped,  their  tops  level  with  the  sash  and  their 
lower  sides  extending  slightly  below  the  level  of 
the  ground;  the  top  board  will,  of  course,  need  to 
be  sawed  on  the  same  slant  as  the  ends  of  the 
frame.  These  not  only  serve  the  purpose  of  sepa- 
rating the  several  portions  of  the  bed,  but  also  fur- 
nish a  firm  support  for  the  sides  of  the  sash  and 
of  closing  any  cracks  that  may  exist  in  the  joint- 
ure of  the  sash. 

All  sash  should  be  in  a  good  water-tight  condi- 
tion, and  no  cracked  glass  or  defective  putty  should 
be  tolerated.  It  will  be  well  if  the  amateur  gardener 
acquaint  himself  with  the  use  of  putty,  and  so  pro- 
vide against  the  loss,  by  sudden  breakage  of  glass 
by  hail,  carelessness,  or  other  causes,  of  a  valuable 
lot  of  plants.  There  are  few  things  more  prone  to 
disaster  than  hotbed  sash,  and  it  might  be  helpful 
to  know  in  this  connection  that  broken  glass  is 
easily  and  quickly  removed  by  the  application  of 
hot  iron  to  the  putty. 

Where  the  ground  is  to  be  used  for  other  pur- 
poses in  the  summer  it  will  only  be  necessary  to 
construct  a  frame  about  a  foot  high  in  front  and 
eighteen  inches  at  the  back,  with  corner  posts  of 
equal  height,  as  in  this  case  the  frame  merely  rests 

[57] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


upon  the  surface  of  the  ground,  or  only  six  inches 
or  a  foot  below  it,  the  soil  and  manure  being  piled 
about  the  frame  to  exclude  cold.  Such  frames  are 
very  handy  to  protect  beds  of  tender  roses  and 
other  plants  during  winter,  as  they  may  be  readily 
moved  about  from  place  to  place,  or  if  only  wanted 
for  spring  use,  they  may  be  fastened  together  with 
pegs  or  hooks,  and  so  taken  apart  and  piled  away 
like  boards  until  wanted  again  another  spring. 

In  constructing  permanent  beds  with  brick  walls, 
the  pit  should  be  dug  four  inches  larger  all  around 
to  allow  for  the  laying  of  the  brick.  Four  inches — 
the  width  of  the  brick — will  be  sufficient  for  these 
walls,  except  where  frost  works  into  it,  and  second- 
class  brick  may  be  used;  it  should  be  laid  with 
cement  and  given  a  finishing  coat  of  one  to  three 
cement  all  over.  In  laying  brick  or  cement  walls 
it  will  be  well  to  mortise  in  a  strip  of  wood  on  the 
top  for  the  sash  to  rest  upon,  also  the  cleats  of 
wood  for  the  partitions  to  slide  in,  and  a  shoulder 
may  be  left  in  the  cement  for  strips  of  wood  to 
extend  across  the  beds  under  the  jointure  of  the 
sash,  to  rest  in,  where  partitions  are  not  to  be  run 
through  the  beds  and  but  two  sash  are  to  be  used. 
Where  window  sash  is  used,  it  may  be  hinged  to 

[58] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


the  strips  of  wood  on  top  of  the  walls,  as  is  done 
on  wooden  frames. 

Concrete  makes  a  very  substantial  and  com- 
paratively cheap  wall.  These  should  be  somewhat 
thicker  than  the  brick,  and  are  laid  up  by  the  aid 
of  a  square  wooden  frame  or  form  the  size  of  the 
inside  dimension  of  the  pit,  the  excavation  being 
about  eight  inches  larger  all  around.  In  laying  the 
wall,  a  rough  concrete  of  sharp  sand  and  gravel, 
in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  cement  to  six  or 
seven  parts  of  sand  and  gravel,  is  used.  This  is 
placed  in  the  space  between  the  frame  and  wall 
and  tamped  down  firmly  and  until  the  moisture 
rises  to  the  surface;  all  four  walls  may  be  laid  at 
once  to  a  height  of  one  foot  and  then  allowed  to 
harden  before  adding  the  succeeding  foot;  always 
wet  the  last  course  of  cement  before  adding  fresh 
concrete.  After  the  wall  is  built  up  to  the  desired 
height,  a  frame  of  narrow  strips  of  wood  should 
be  fitted  to  the  top,  as  in  the  case  of  the  brick  wall. 
Such  a  wall  is  very  economical,  warm,  and  durable. 

Having  constructed  the  hotbed  of  the  chosen 
material,  all  that  remains  to  do  is  to  put  it  in  com- 
mission. To  accomplish  this,  fresh  horse  manure 
sufficient  to  fill  the  beds  quite  to  the  top  will  be  re- 

[59] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


quired.  This  should  be  procured  before  frozen  from 
that  which  has  accumulated  over  night  from  young, 
grain-fed  horses.  It  should  be  mixed  with  straw 
or,  better  still,  with  leaves — an  amount  equal  in 
bulk  to  the  manure.  This  admixture  of  leaves  or 
straw  is  very  important,  as  this  furnishes  heat  by 
the  fermentation  or  heating  of  the  manure  and  in- 
sures the  permanency  of  the  heat;  were  only 
manure  used,  the  heat  would  be  intense  at  the 
start,  but  soon  die  out  for  lack  of  fuel. 

The  manure  and  leaves  should  be  thoroughly 
mixed,  and  may  be  piled  at  once  in  the  pits,  pack- 
ing it  down  lightly  that  all  parts  of  the  pit  may 
be  filled,  or  it  may  be  allowed  to  get  well  heated 
before  filling  the  frames.  Should  the  manure  be 
very  dry  it  may  be  sprinkled  with  hot  water. 
Place  the  sash  on  the  beds  and  leave  the  manure 
to  heat,  which  will  begin  almost  at  once  if  the 
manure  is  all  right.  The  temperature  of  the  mass 
may  be  tested  by  a  thermometer  thrust  into  it,  or 
if  a  pitchfork  is  thrust  into  the  manure  and  allowed 
to  remain  a  few  moments  and  then  withdrawn,  it 
will  show  at  once  if  the  mass  is  heating.  When  the 
heat  has  penetrated  every  part  of  the  mass,  espe- 
cially the  corners,  it  may  be  tramped  down.  Pro- 

[60] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 

fessional  gardeners  put  the  manure  in  a  pile  and 
turn  it  over  once  or  twice  as  it  heats  before  placing 
it  in  the  pits,  but  they  handle  so  large  a  quantity 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  get  sufficient  at  one  time 
for  all  the  beds,  so  older  manure  is  used  and  allowed 
to  heat  in  piles.  For  the  home  garden,  however,  I 
have  found  this  way  more  satisfactory  and  far  less 
work.  Occasionally,  when  not  able  to  get  sufficient 
fresh  manure  for  all  my  beds,  I  have  supplemented 
it  with  manure  from  the  heap  at  the  barn,  which 
had  begun  to  heat,  and  have  found  it  answered  very 
well. 

When  the  temperature  has  risen  to  a  hundred 
degrees  or  more  the  mass  should  be  tramped  down 
as  firmly  and  evenly  as  possible  and  an  inch  or  two 
of  old  manure,  made  very  fine,  placed  on  top  of  it. 
Over  this  place  four  or  five  inches  of  good  soil, 
composed  of  garden  loam,  leaf  mould,  and  a  little 
sharp  sand  well  mixed.  The  surface  soil  should 
be  entirely  free  from  all  rough  matter,  stones, 
roots,  and  the  like,  and  to  secure  this  condition,  it 
will  be  well  to  pass  it  through  a  sand  sieve  or  coal- 
ash  sieve. 

When  the  heat  has  begun  to  subside,  so  that  the 

thermometer  indicates  ninety  or  less,  the  seed  may 

[61] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


be  sown.  The  soil  should  be  moist,  not  wet  or  dry, 
and  if  for  any  reason  it  should  be  wet,  it  must  be 
turned  over  and  over  and  dried  out  until  in  a  con- 
dition to  use;  if  too  dry,  it  may  be  watered  with 
warm  water  from  the  sprinkler  of  the  watering 
pot  and  then  allowed  to  lie  under  the  sash  until 
the  moisture  is  uniform.  Soil  which  adheres  to  the 
trowel  in  working  is  too  wet  to  plant.  It  should 
fall  apart  after  being  pressed  in  the  hand,  not 
form  into  a  ball  or  lump. 

Before  sowing  the  various  seeds  it  will  be  well 
to  obtain  a  supply  of  narrow  strips  of  wood, 
which  may  be  used  to  divide  the  various  plats  of 
seed  from  each  other,  by  sinking  them  half  way 
into  the  ground  between  the  different  sowings  of 
seed.  This  is  of  moment,  especially  where  more 
than  one  variety  of  different  kinds  of  plants  are 
sown — as  cauliflower,  cabbage,  or  tomatoes.  Where 
but  one  kind  of  seed  is  sown  in  a  sash,  or  one  cab- 
bage and  tomatoes,  for  instance,  in  which  there 
can  be  no  difficulty  in  distinguishing  them,  it  will 
not  be  necessary;  still  the  presence  of  these  little 
barriers  prevents  the  washing  of  fine  seed  when 
the  plats  are  watered,  and  defines  the  boundaries 

of  the  plats.  When  one  lives  in  the  vicinity  of  a 

[62] 


CONSTRUCTION  AND  CARE  OF  HOTBEDS 


box  factory,  long,  thin,  narrow  strips  of  wood  ad- 
mirable for  this  purpose  can  be  secured.  These 
make  excellent  labels,  also,  and  should  be  pre- 
pared in  advance  of  the  time  of  planting.  Not  only 
the  name  of  the  seed  should  appear  on  these,  but 
also  the  date  of  sowing  and,  where  known,  the 
period  of  germination.  It  is  also  well,  where  seeds 
of  different  seedsmen  are  used,  to  put  the  name  or 
initials  of  the  seedsman  on  the  label.  In  this  way 
one  can  judge  of  the  relative  value  of  the  seeds, 
particularly  if  one  is  buying  in  large  quantities. 

In  planting  the  seed,  it  is  necessary  to  consider 
carefully  the  requirements  of  the  various  plants, 
and  give  those  requiring  a  considerable  amount  of 
heat  a  sash  by  themselves,  which  the  partitions 
under  each  sash  will  make  possible,  and  place  those 
requiring  less  heat  and  more  air  by  themselves. 

In  gardening  on  a  large  scale,  separate  hotbeds 
should  be  used,  and  they  should  be  started  at  differ- 
ent times  to  accommodate  the  requirements  of  the 
different  plants ;  but  in  the  small  home  garden  this 
is  not  practicable,  for  even  one  small  bed,  three  by 
six  feet,  may,  by  the  use  of  a  partition,  be  used  to 
start  a  variety  of  vegetables  at  the  same  time  with 
very  fair  success. 

[63] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Egg-plants,  peppers,  and  tomatoes  may  be 
started  under  the  same  sash,  the  cabbage  and  cauli- 
flowers occupying  the  other  sash. 

When  the  date  at  which  the  various  seeds  ger- 
minate is  known,  it  will  be  well  to  plant  those 
which  germinate  at  the  same  time  in  the  same  part 
of  the  frame  for  convenience  in  handling.  It  is  also 
well  to  plant  those  seeds  which  make  the  more 
robust  plants  in  the  rear  of  the  beds,  that  they  may 
not  overshadow  the  remaining  plants,  though  there 
is  less  danger  of  this  in  the  vegetable  frames  than 
in  the  flower  frames. 

Before  beginning  the  sowing  it  will  be  well  to 
provide  one's  self  with  a  thin  piece  of  wood,  with 
a  handle  on  one  side  to  be  used  for  pressing  the 
seed  into  the  soil.  This  is  better  than  to  try  to  pack 
it  down  with  the  hand,  as  it  leaves  a  uniform  pres- 
sure and  a  level  surface.  The  board  may  be  of  any 
convenient  size,  but  one  about  a  foot  long  and  ten 
inches  wide  will  be  convenient. 

It  is  immaterial  whether  the  seeds  be  sown  broad- 
cast or  in  drills;  broadcasting  requires  rather  less 
room,  but  plants  in  drills  are  more  easily  lifted  and 
transplanted,  and,  where  there  is  sufficient  room, 
by  placing  the  drills  three  or  four  inches  apart,  it 

[64] 


OF 


UNIVERSITY 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


will  be  possible  to  transplant  half  of  the  plants  in 
the  drills  into  fresh  rows  between  the  drills,  a  proc- 
ess which  will  produce  much  better  plants.  How- 
ever, it  is  easier  to  scatter  seed  thinly  when  sowing 
it  broadcast  than  in  drills,  and  there  is  not  so  much 
danger  of  crowding. 

Seeds  sown  under  the  protecting  care  of  the  hot- 
bed do  not  need  to  be  covered  as  deeply  as  when 
sown  in  the  open  ground,  as  they  are  protected 
from  all  changes  of  the  weather,  drying  winds, 
burning  sun,  and  washing  rains.  If  well  covered 
and  the  soil  pressed  firmly  over  them,  that  will  be 
all  that  is  really  necessary  in  the  matter  of  planting. 
An  eighth  of  an  inch  of  covering  will  be  as  much 
as  such  seeds  as  tomatoes,  cabbages,  and  cauli- 
flowers require,  providing  they  are  never  allowed 
to  dry  out.  Egg-plants  may  be  planted  at  the  same 
time  as  peppers  and  tomatoes,  but  the  same  tem- 
perature required  for  these  would  be  rather  high 
for  cabbage  and  cauliflower  were  it  not  for  the 
fact  that  by  careful  airing  and  shading  of  the  beds 
these  last  can  be  kept  at  a  much  lower  temperature 
than  the  former. 

Both  egg-plants  and  peppers  germinate  very 
slowly.  Especially  is  this  the  case  when  the  tern- 

[65] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


perature  of  the  hotbed  is  not  sufficiently  high,  and 
much  care  is  required  to  so  regulate  the  sash  as 
to  afford  sufficient  air  without  at  the  same  time 
unduly  lowering  the  temperature.  When  all  the 
seeds  are  sown,  pressed  down,  and  labelled,  the 
soil  should  be  sprayed  lightly  with  a  rubber  sprin- 
kler or  the  fine  rose  of  a  watering  pot,  covered 
with  newspapers,  the  sashes  closed,  and  the  seed 
left  to  germinate.  The  beds  must  be  examined 
every  day  to  note  if  the  soil  is  becoming  dry,  in 
which  case  it  must  be  watered  carefully  as  before, 
or  if  too  wet  and  moisture  gathers  on  the  glass, 
the  sash  must  be  raised  a  little  to  allow  the  exces- 
sive moisture  to  pass  off. 

When  the  first  plat  of  seeds  germinates  and  the 
tiny  green  leaves  appear  above  the  soil,  the  paper 
should  be  lifted  from  that  much  of  the  bed  and 
placed  on  top  of  the  glass,  directly  over  the  plat. 
This  shields  the  plants  from  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun,  while  allowing  sufficient  light  to  reach  the 
plants  indirectly  for  their  proper  growth  at  this 
stage. 

Many  seeds  have  a  tendency  to  come  into  the 
world  heels  up,  and  unless  this  penchant  is  cor- 
rected by  turning  the  youngsters  over  into  the 

[66] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


soil,  by  making  a  tiny  depression  in  the  soil  be- 
side them  with  the  point  of  a  pencil  to  receive  them, 
they  are  quite  likely  to  perish.  For  this  reason  it 
is  necessary  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  the  seedlings 
during  the  period  of  germination.  The  same  end 
may  be  accomplished  by  sifting  a  little  fine  sandy 
soil  over  the  seeds  when  they  begin  to  germinate. 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  portion  of  the  summer 
gardening  is  of  greater  interest  than  this  watch- 
ing of  the  breaking  of  the  earth  crust  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  tiny,  tender  green  heads,  and  if 
good  seed  has  been  used  and  the  planting  care- 
fully done,  each  square  will  present  a  mosaic  of 
vigorous  growth  from  the  start. 

The  hotbed  must  not  be  neglected  during  these 
early  days  of  growth,  as  sudden  changes  of  weather 
may  cause  untold  disaster.  The  temperature  in  a 
closed  bed,  under  the  influence  of  a  bright  sun, 
rises  rapidly  and  the  beds  dry  out  with  amazing 
frequency,  and  it  will  be  necessary  to  admit  air 
and  exclude,  to  some  extent,  the  sun  by  placing 
papers  over  the  glass  and  raising  the  sash  a  trifle 
for  the  escape  of  the  surplus  heat.  If,  however, 
there  is  also  a  wind,  it  will  be  necessary  to  guard 
the  opening  on  the  windward  side  by  a  bit  of  rug 

[67] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


or  old  carpet  that  no  chill  wind  may  blow  over 
the  exposed  plants.  Should  the  sun  go  under  a 
cloud  when  the  sash  is  open  and  the  temperature 
fall,  the  sash  must  be  closed  at  once.  It  will  also 
be  best  to  keep  the  sash  closed  during  rains  and 
lowery  weather. 

One  of  the  most  serious  difficulties  which  con- 
front the  gardener  in  the  management  of  a  hotbed 
arises  from  a  spell  of  hot  weather  when  the  plants 
are  yet  in  their  seed  leaf,  or  the  first  week  or  two 
of  growth;  when  this  occurs  to  the  extent  of  neces- 
sitating the  closing  of  the  beds  for  days  at  a  time, 
especially  if  it  also  becomes  necessary  to  protect 
the  beds  from  the  cold  with  rugs,  not  only  shut- 
ting out  the  air  but  the  light  as  wrell,  then  the  situa- 
tion is  indeed  serious,  as  there  is  often  much  loss 
of  plants  from  damping  off.  The  only  palliative 
treatment  is  to  watch  the  weather  and  not  water 
the  beds,  especially  at  night,  when  a  spell  of  wet 
weather  is  imminent;  if  the  beds  go  into  bad 
weather  in  fairly  dry  condition  they  will  come 
through  in  much  better  shape.  It  is,  for  this  reason, 
always  better  to  water  early  in  the  morning  if  con- 
ditions are  favourable. 

The  beds  should  be  well  protected  with  rugs  or 
[68] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


mats  on  cold  and  frosty  nights;  glass  radiates 
heat  very  rapidly  after  the  sun  goes  down,  and 
should,  for  that  reason,  in  the  early  days  of  spring, 
be  covered  while  yet  it  retains  the  heat.  Whatever 
covering  is  used  should  be  brought  down  well  over 
the  sides  of  the  beds,  and  in  windy  weather  should 
be  held  in  place  with  racks  or  strips  of  wood.  Shut- 
ters or  some  waterproof  covering  is  necessary  over 
the  rugs  in  wet  weather,  as  wet  rugs  or  frozen 
ones  do  not  exclude  cold,  and  for  this  reason  should 
be  kept  dry. 

As  the  weather  grows  warmer  and  the  plants 
increase  in  size,  more  air  and  sun  should  be  given 
and  the  sash  may  be  partially  raised  throughout 
the  warmer  part  of  the  day.  If  the  sun  is  hot, 
newspapers  should  be  placed  over  the  sash  or  the 
glass  whitewashed.  Later  the  sash  may  be  removed 
during  the  heat  of  the  day  and  replaced  with  lath 
screens,  and  as  the  season  for  removing  the  plants 
to  the  open  ground  approaches,  these,  too,  may 
be  dispensed  with  and  the  plants  given  full  ex- 
posure to  harden  them  off  and  make  the  plants 
grow  more  stocky. 

Where  there  is  room  for  it,  much  benefit  will  be 
derived  from  transplanting  the  plants,  when  they 

[69] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


have  grown  large  enough  to  handle,  into  fresh  rows 
or  other  hotbeds.  Such  plants  as  cabbage,  cauli- 
flower, and  lettuce  may  be  transplanted  into  cold- 
frames  or  beds  in  the  open  ground,  where  they  can 
be  protected  with  canvas  in  case  of  sudden  drop  of 
temperature,  and  grown  on  until  time  for  trans- 
ferring to  permanent  positions  in  the  garden. 

COLDFRAMES     AND     PITS 

The  coldframe  is  simply  a  frame  of  boards  pro- 
vided with  sash  or  other  protective  material,  and 
differs  from  the  hotbed  principally  in  that  it  has 
no  heating  material  or  pit  beneath  it,  but  is  set  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  It  has  many  uses  and  is 
a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  garden.  In  the  small 
home  garden  it  is  most  useful  for  starting  early 
lettuce,  for  growing  a  few  melons  or  cucumbers 
ahead  of  the  outdoor  crop,  or  for  carrying  lettuce 
and  cauliflower  through  the  winter  in  order  to 
have  an  early  crop  of  these.  It  is  also  useful  for 
wintering  plants  of  artichoke,  which  will  not  en- 
dure the  winter  in  the  open  ground  at  the  North. 
It  is  a  very  useful  auxiliary  of  the  hotbed  when 
used  for  transplanting  the  plants  from  those  beds 
in  order  to  give  more  room  to  develop.  A  very 

[70] 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 

small  hotbed  can  be  made  to  do  service  for  a  good- 
sized  garden  if  supplemented  by  a  coldframe. 

The  transplanting  of  any  plant  is  a  distinct  ad- 
vantage, as  it  not  only  allows  of  greater  top  de- 
velopment, but  the  root  development  is  also  much 
improved,  as  a  new  growth  of  roots  is  induced 
with  each  removal;  and  the  greater  the  amount  of 
roots  carried  by  the  plant  when  it  goes  into  the 
open  ground,  the  better  will  be  its  development  and 
subsequent  growth. 

Any  spent  hotbed  may  be  used  as  a  coldframe 
through  the  summer  and  winter,  and  makes  the 
best  of  places  for  the  midsummer  starting  of  pansy 
seeds  and  other  flower  perennials  that  are  to  be 
carried  over  the  winter  under  sash. 

It  is  well  in  constructing  coldframes  for  winter 
use  exclusively  to  build  them  so  that  they  may  be 
taken  apart  if  necessary  and  stored  away  during 
summer.  This  may  be  done  by  making  the  four 
sides  separately  and  fastening  them  together  with 
pegs,  hinges,  or  hooks;  the  joints  should  be  a  per- 
fect fit,  though,  as  the  exclusion  of  cold  is  the  first 
reason  for  their  construction. 

Where  the  coldframe  is  intended  for  the  pro- 
tection of  any  large  number  of  plants,  as  in  the 

[71] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


flower  garden,  where  beds  of  roses,  azaleas,  rho- 
dodendrons, and  the  like  are  to  be  protected,  the 
span-roofed  frame  is  preferable.  This,  as  its  name 
indicates,  has  a  double  sash  or  roof  of  glass  and 
glass  ends,  being  built  with  a  wooden  base  a  foot 
high  all  around  and  a  frame  about  two  feet  high 
in  the  centre  on  which  the  sash  rests,  the  gable  ends 
being  filled  with  glass.  This  is  much  more  preten- 
tious than  the  common  coldframe  or  hotbed  and 
much  more  commodious.  It  is  not  necessarily  pro- 
hibitively expensive,  and  will  more  than  pay  for 
itself  in  the  protection  it  affords. 

The  permanent  hotbeds  may  be  made  useful  and 
attractive  during  the  summer  by  using  them  for 
planting  out  tropical  plants  or  those  requiring  an 
unusual  amount  of  heat  and  nourishment,  as  their 
location  in  the  sunniest  position  furnishes  the  one 
and  the  great  amount  of  manure  they  contain  the 
other.  No  better  place  could  be  found  for  growing 
banana  plants,  whose  luxuriant  growth  requires 
just  these  conditions.  It  will  also  be  found  a  con- 
venience in  applying  water,  as  the  frame  and  the 
lowness  of  the  soil  inside  prevent  all  waste,  and 
the  soil  can  be  kept  wet  under  conditions  that 
would  be  impossible  in  the  open  ground. 

im 


CONSTRUCTION    AND    CARE    OF    HOTBEDS 


The  space  back  of  and  between  the  wall  and 
hotbed  may  be  utilised  for  the  growing  of  vines, 
and  so  render  beautiful  what  might  otherwise  prove 
barren  and  unsightly.  This  would  be  an  excellent 
position  in  which  to  grow  a  vine  or  two  of  the 
Niagara  grape,  as  the  building  would  afford  it  the 
protection  it  needs  and  the  position  on  the  south 
wall  the  necessary  amount  of  sunshine  and  heat. 

In  renewing  hotbeds  and  pits,  the  old  manure 
in  the  bottom  should  be  separated  from  the  soil  and 
thrown  in  a  pile  by  itself,  and  may  be  used  as  a 
top  dressing  for  bulb-beds,  shrubbery,  and  the  like. 

The  plant  pit  is  another  very  useful  adjunct  to 
the  garden,  especially  in  the  Middle  and  Southern 
States,  but  is  of  little  use  at  the  North,  where  it  is 
only  available  for  the  wintering  of  tender  roses, 
carnations,  and  the  like — plants  which  require  to 
be  kept  dry  more  than  to  be  protected  from  frost. 

It  is  possible,  however,  to  make  use  of  the  pit 
for  the  raising  of  winter  lettuce,  radishes,  and  the 
like,  when  it  can  be  constructed  in  connection  with 
the  cellar,  and  so  receive  heat  from  the  furnace  or 
other  source.  When  this  is  undertaken,  an  excava- 
tion should  be  made  on  a  south  wall,  reaching 

down  to  the  cellar  bottom  and  having  an  entrance 

[73] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


into  the  cellar.  The  sash  should  slant  sharply  toward 
the  south,  and  the  frame  should  be  of  stone,  cement, 
or  brick  construction,  and  if  this  can  be  built  with 
a  hollow  wall,  so  much  the  better.  Hollow  cement 
tile  furnishes  a  good,  solid  construction,  or  concrete 
may  be  built  hollow  by  the  use  of  cores.  The  sash 
should  be  provided  with  heavy  wooden  shutters  and 
mats  of  straw  or  rugs  to  protect  the  pit  in  severe 
weather;  these  should  be  removed  during  the  day 
whenever  the  weather  permits.  If  the  pit  opens  out 
of  a  furnace  cellar  and  receives  a  good  amount  of 
sunshine,  considerable  growth  will  be  made  during 
the  winter.  The  pit  should  be  provided  with  shelves, 
which  will  permit  of  the  placing  of  such  plants  as 
are  wanted  for  immediate  use  close  to  the  glass. 
Plants  which  are  to  be  merely  carried  through  the 
winter  may  rest  on  the  floor  of  the  pit  or  be  placed 
midway  between  the  top  and  floor. 

In  a  mild  climate  a  shallow  pit  may  be  built 
against  a  south-cellar  wall  and  access  gained  to  it 
through  a  cellar  window.  This  is  a  most  inexpen- 
sive form  of  pit  and  affords  an  excellent  place  for 
the  growing  of  violets. 


[74] 


CHAPTER    SIX 
ON    THE    SOWING    OF    SEED 


1  HERE  is  no  part  of  the  garden  work  which  calls 
for  such  nice  judgment  and  careful  attention  as 
the  sowing  of  seed.  Most  of  the  failures  originate 
right  here,  and  a  large  share  of  the  blame  devoted 
to  the  seeds  and  seedsman,  if  traced  back  to  its 
original  source,  would  be  found  to  rest  on  the  ig- 
norance or  carelessnes  of  the  gardener.  In  the  first 
place,  there  is  a  tendency  among  a  large  class  of 
people  to  get  something  for  nothing  or  at  least  at 
a  bargain.  This  results  in  the  purchase  of  cheap 
seeds  or  premium  seeds,  or  seeds  are  purchased  of 
the  local  grocer  or  seedsman  and  may,  probably, 
have  lain  on  his  shelves  from  the  season  before  or 
an  even  earlier  date. 

Now,  to  have  a  successful  garden  one  must  start 
right  by  buying  good  seeds  of  reliable  seedsmen 
and  seeds  of  plants  suited  to  one's  own  locality. 

If,  in  addition,  the  seeds  have  been  grown  in  prac- 

[75] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


tically  the  same  latitude,  so  much  the  better;  it  in- 
sures a  hardy  constitution,  acclimated  to  the  con- 
ditions which  prevail  in  your  particular  locality. 
Now,  as  a  general  thing,  good  seed  means  high- 
priced  seeds  or  seeds  for  which  one  pays  a  reason- 
able amount.  This  is  at  it  should  be.  One  should 
not  expect  to  raise  premium  vegetables  from  cheap, 
scrub  seed,  and  there  is  as  great  a  difference  in  the 
pedigree  of  seed  as  in  that  of  animals. 

Then  one  should  not  only  see  that  they  are  se- 
curing the  best  seed  that  the  market  affords  but 
they  should  secure  it  in  time,  not  wait  until  they 
are  ready  to  plant  and  then  rush  off  an  order,  hur- 
riedly prepared  and  half  the  things  needed  for- 
gotten and  most  of  the  others  wrong,  and  expect 
to  receive  them  by  return  mail.  The  spring  of  the 
year  is  a  busy  time  with  the  seedsman,  and  it  is  but 
fair  to  him,  as  well  as  just  to  yourself,  to  give  him 
a  reasonable  time  to  fill  your  order  by  getting  it 
in  early.  If  Mr.  Jones  has  ordered  an  ounce  of 
silver-skin  peppers  and  ruby-king  parsnips,  there 
ought  to  be  time  allowed  for  the  seedsman  to  inquire 
what  Mr.  Jones  really  wants,  and  not  be  obliged 
to  fill  his  order  by  guesswork.  Of  course  he  will 
readily  understand  that  what  is  wanted  is  ruby- 

[76] 


ON    THE    SOWING    OF    SEED 


king  peppers  and  silver-skin  onions,  but  how  about 
the  parsnips? 

Late  in  winter  or  early  in  spring  one  should  go 
over  their  seeds  which  have  been  saved  from  the 
home  garden  and  ascertain  how  far  they  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  coming  year.  Then  a  list  of 
such  seeds  as  are  not  on  hand  should  be  made  and 
the  catalogues  consulted  for  prices  and  varieties. 
The  list  made  up  then  may,  probably  will,  need 
frequent  revising,  and  by  the  time  it  is  mailed  to 
the  seedsman  may  be  trusted  to  supply  just  about 
the  varieties  and  quantities  wanted.  And,  speaking 
of  quantity,  it  will  be  about  as  cheap,  in  a  good 
many  cases,  to  buy  by  the  ounce  as  by  the  packet; 
especially  is  this  the  case  with  those  seeds  of  which 
it  may  be  necessary  to  make  repeated  sowings — as 
cucumbers,  squashes,  melons,  beans,  and  the  like.  A 
cold,  wret  spring  often  entails  much  replanting,  and 
sufficient  seed  should  be  on  hand  to  enable  one 
to  replant  at  once  when  it  is  discovered  that  the 
first  planting  is  for  any  reason  abortive.  Owing 
to  the  proneness  of  seeds  of  vine  plants  to  rot  in 
the  ground  if  too  wet  or  cold,  a  much  greater 
quantity  of  seed  is  required.  Generous  planting  of 
these  seeds  is  also  necessary  on  account  of  the  rav- 

[77] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ages  of  the  squash  bug,  which  must  be  liberally  fed 
to  induce  him  to  leave  a  plant  or  two  for  the 
garden. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  quality  of  the  seeds 
is  the  time  in  which  they  are  sown.  There  are  a  few 
seeds  which  may  be  gotten  into  the  ground  as 
early  as  it  can  be  worked.  Beets,  cabbage,  lettuce, 
onions,  peas,  salsify,  spinach,  and  turnips  are  all 
planted  for  early  crops  as  soon  as  the  ground  can 
be  worked,  but  such  early  planting  of  corn,  toma- 
toes, melons,  cucumbers,  and  other  heat-loving 
plants  would  simply  result  in  the  loss  of  both  time 
and  seed. 

The  condition  of  the  soil,  also,  has  a  marked  in- 
fluence on  the  germination  of  the  seed.  When  the 
ground  is  still  wet  from  the  frost  in  spring  it  is  not 
in  condition  for  successful  sowing  of  seed;  it  is 
better  to  wait  until  it  has  dried  sufficiently  to  be 
mellow  and  tractable  before  sowing  any  kind  of 
seed.  Too  dry  a  soil  is  seldom  a  cause  of  complaint 
in  early  spring,  but  is  a  condition  which  sometimes 
gives  trouble  in  the  summer,  when  seed  of  various 
vegetables  are  sown  for  a  succession — as  late  corn, 
turnips,  and  the  like.  As  it  is  not  expedient  to  wait 

for  the  rain  at  this  time,  the  proper  conditions  are 

[78] 


ON    THE    SOWING    OF    SEED 


partially  secured  by  tramping  the  seed  down  very 
firmly  and  watering  the  rows  well  after  sowing. 
The  thorough  firming  of  the  soil  over  the  seed  is 
of  the  utmost  importance — this  and  the  depth  at 
\vhich  the  seeds  are  planted — for  in  sowing  seed  in 
the  open  ground  much  greater  depth  is  necessary 
than  would  be  given  the  same  seed  in  the  hotbed. 

A  case  in  point  occurred  this  last  season  in  my  own 
garden,  when  the  planting  of  peas,  for  a  succession, 
and  lima  beans  was  left  to  an  assistant.  The  most 
careful  directions  were  given  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  they  were  to  be  sown.  "  Plant  these  peas," 
I  said,  handing  him  a  package  of  Nott's  Excelsior, 
"  four  inches  deep  and  scatter  them  thinly  in  the 
rows.  Tramp  the  rows  down  firmly,  and  when  you 
have  finished,  go  over  the  surface  of  the  rows  very 
lightly  with  the  lawn  rake.  Be  very  careful  to  only 
scrape  the  surface  of  the  soil,  so  as  to  leave  a  light 
dust  mulch,  so  that  the  soil  will  not  dry  out;  and 
these,"  handing  a  packet  of  Dreer's  Bush  Limas, 
"  are  to  be  planted  two  inches  deep,  two  inches 
apart,  in  the  drills,  and  the  soil  tramped  down  over, 
but  these  being  planted  so  much  more  shallow, 
you  need  not  use  the  rake.  Make  the  drills  for  each 
a  foot  apart  for  two  drills,  then  leave  two  feet  be- 

[79] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


tween  to  cultivate  through."  "  Yes'em,  I  under- 
stand." An  hour  later  he  reports  for  more  work. 
"Well,  how  deep  did  you  plant  those  peas?" 
"  Four  inches  deep,  tramped  down  the  rows,  and 
raked  them  over.  Planted  the  beans  two  inches 
deep  and  two  inches  apart  in  the  row  and  tramped 
them  down,"  he  answered  glibly.  Very  good!  A 
few  days  after  a  heavy  rain  and  every  pea  on  top 
of  the  ground,  and  all  sprouted,  but  nowhere  any 
beans.  An  investigation  demonstrated  that  the 
beans  were  reposing  four  inches  below  the  surface, 
all  sprouted  and  decayed — result,  the  loss  of  both 
crops.  He  had  simply  "  mixed  those  babies  up." 
Had  they  been  planted  as  directed,  there  would 
have  been  an  excellent  crop  of  semi-early  peas  and 
an  abundant  supply  of  beans. 

The  tramping  down  of  the  seed  should  never  be 
omitted  when  the  ground  is  in  a  dry  condition.  On 
very  wet  soil  it  is  not  necessary  nor  best,  but  on  dry 
soil  it  is  indispensable.  The  reason  for  it  is  obvious. 
If  the  soil  is  dry  and  lies  loosely  about  the  seed, 
there  will  not  be  sufficient  moisture  to  cause  the 
seed  to  germinate.  Or,  should  it  be  able  to  do  so, 
the  contact  with  the  soil  will  not  be  close  enough 

to  allow  the  tiny  roots  to  take  hold  upon  it,  and 

[80] 


ON    THE    SOWING    OF    SEED 


without  this  immediate  connection,  the  young 
sprout  cannot  grow,  but  will  wither  and  die. 
Planted  in  loose  soil,  the  seed  may  lie  in  a  space 
between  two  particles  of  soil,  very  tiny,  but  to  the 
little  hair-like  roots  a  veritable  cavern,  through 
which  they  will  grope  in  vain  for  food  and  moist- 
ure. When  the  earth  is  pressed  firmly  about  the 
seed  it  comes  in  immediate  contact  at  every  point, 
and  can  at  once,  when  germination  takes  place, 
lay  hold  upon  the  earth  and  grow. 

It  is  not  well  to  plant  seed,  especially  that  which 
is  only  lightly  covered,  just  before  a  hard  rain, 
but  a  gentle  rain  is  a  distinct  advantage.  In  the 
small  home  garden  the  delay  of  a  day  or  two  in 
the  planting  is  not  often  the  cause  of  serious  loss, 
though  it  may  well  be  of  moment  to  the  commer- 
cial gardener.  It  is  much  more  important  that  it 
shall  not  be  gotten  into  the  ground  too  soon  than 
that  it  shall  not  be  planted  too  late.  To  be  sure,  if 
one  has  an  abundance  of  seed  and  does  not  care 
for  the  labour  involved,  then  the  chances  of  getting 
an  early  crop  by  early  planting  may  be  worth 
while.  But  as  a  general  thing,  seed  planted  when 
the  soil  has  become  warm  and  the  nights  are  warm, 

will  make  enough  more  rapid  growth  to  more  than 

[81] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


balance  the  difference  in  time,  and  can  usually  be 
trusted  to  overtake  the  earlier-planted  seed  plants. 

In  my  early  gardening  experience  I  was  very  am- 
bitious about  getting  things  started  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment  and  to  have  things  a  little  in  ad- 
vance of  my  neighbours,  but  several  years  of  cover- 
ing plants  in  the  open  ground  to  protect  them  from 
frost  has  quite  cured  me  of  any  undue  ambition; 
I  am  quite  willing  that  my  neighbour's  tomatoes 
shall  ripen  a  day  or  two  ahead  of  mine  if  in  return 
they  will  collect  blankets,  quilts,  canvas,  and  other 
protective  material  and  spend  frosty  hours  spread- 
ing them  over  tender  plants  scattered  over  an  acre 
or  two  of  ground  and  trail  around  in  the  dew  of 
the  morning  removing  them,  while  I  toast  my  toes 
by  the  fire  and  read  my  evening  paper. 

Unless  the  time  and  the  condition  of  the  ground 
is  entirely  favourable,  it  will  be  well  to  plant  only 
a  portion  of  the  seed  at  a  time,  reserving  enough 
for  a  second  planting  should  the  first  fail  to  come 
up  or  the  young  plants  be  destroyed  in  any  way. 
Should  the  seeds  fail  to  come  up  in  a  reasonable 
time,  do  not  be  in  too  great  haste  to  blame  the 
seedsman,  but  go  over  the  operation  carefully  in 

your  mind  and  try  and  see  if  the  fault  may  not 

[82] 


I 

ON    THE    SOWING    OF    SEED 


have  been  in  your  management  of  the  seed.  I  know 
that  this  is  not  an  especially  pleasant  task,  for,  in 
the  first  heat  of  disappointment,  it  is  a  relief  to 
be  able  to  blame  some  one  else  for  our  misfortunes, 
but  I  can  assure  you  that  it  is  a  very  profitable 
process  and  one  by  which  the  amateur  gardener 
learns  and  grows  wise. 


[83] 


CHAPTER    SEVEN 
TRANSPLANTING 


IT  is  a  question  whether  the  time  at  which  tender 
plants  shall  go  into  the  ground  is  a  matter  of  pru- 
dence or  of  courage.  If  one  has  a  good  hotbed  well 
stocked  with  plants  on  which  to  draw,  then  "he 
either  fears  his  fate  too  much  or  his  deserts  are 
small.  Who  fears  to  put  it  to  the  touch,  and  win 
or  lose  it  all,"  if  the  weather  and  soil  are  in  a 
favourable  condition  for  planting,  for  there  is  no 
question  that  one  often  gains  two  or  three  weeks 
by  early  planting.  Nevertheless,  the  chances  are 
against  it,  and  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  where 
plants  must  be  purchased,  or  all  one's  stock  is  put 
into  the  ground  at  once. 

It  may  be  accepted  as  a  rule  that  warm  weather 
early  in  March  or  April  will  be  followed  by  a  cold 
spell  in  early  May,  and  that  plants  put  into  the 
ground  ahead  of  this  period  will  be  apt  to  suffer, 

if,  indeed,  they  do  not  perish  outright, 

[84] 


TRANSPLANTING 


The  kind  and  condition  of  the  plants  will  have 
much  importance  in  deciding  the  time  at  which 
they  may  be  transferred  to  the  open  ground.  If 
cabbage  plants  have  been  properly  hardened  off 
they  may  go  into  the  ground  much  earlier  than 
if  very  tender.  For  this  reason  plants  which  were 
started  from  seed  sown  in  September  of  the  pre- 
vious year  and  carried  through  the  winter  in  cold- 
frames  or  those  from  seed  in  spring  and  well  hard- 
ened can  go  into  the  ground  as  early  as  it  can  be 
worked  in  the  spring,  but  tender  plants  from  hot- 
beds, started  the  middle  of  March  or  first  of  April 
at  the  North,  should  not  be  set  out  before  the  first 
of  May,  and  even  then  should  have  been  well 
hardened  off  by  exposure  to  the  weather — nights 
as  well  as  during  the  day — for  a  week  or  more. 
Cabbage  plants  which  show  a  whitish-green  shade 
are  too  tender  for  outdoor  life,  and  it  will  be  better 
to  wait  until  they  show  a  film  of  blue  over  the  foli- 
age. Tender  plants,  like  peppers  and  egg-plants, 
should  not  go  into  the  ground  until  settled  warm 
weather,  which  at  the  North  will  be  any  time  from 
the  twentieth  of  May  to  the  first  of  June. 

Before  commencing  the  transplanting  of  any 

vegetables  the  ground  should  be  thoroughly  pre- 

[85] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

pared  by  ploughing  and  dragging — both  ways — 
and  floating  off,  or  if  spading  is  necessary,  it 
should  be  very  thoroughly  done,  so  that  the  soil  is 
entirely  broken  up  and  pulverised,  and  the  steel 
rake  should  be  used  to  get  the  surface  into  as  fine 
a  condition  as  possible.  The  lines  for  the  plants 
should  be  set  and  the  distance  apart  the  plants  are 
to  stand  in  the  rows  indicated.  Market  gardeners 
use  a  marker  consisting  of  a  long  pole  with  a  cross- 
piece  at  one  end  of  the  length  of  the  distance  apart 
of  the  rows  and  provided  with  a  triangular  piece 
of  wood,  as  a  marker  or  peg,  at  each  end.  This 
is  drawn  over  the  ground  in  each  direction  and  a 
plant  set  at  each  intersection  of  the  lines.  It  is  very 
little  more  trouble  to  use  a  garden  line  and  reel, 
and  the  result  is  much  straighter  lines.  A  garden 
tape,  which  has  the  feet  marked  in  red  numbers, 
is  handy  in  this  connection,  and  as  a  hundred-foot 
line  is  inexpensive,  it  will  be  found  a  very  profit- 
able thing  to  have  about  the  garden. 

It  will  much  simplify  the  planting  to  have  the 
rows  marked  out  and  the  holes  dug  before  any 
plants  are  lifted  from  the  beds.  The  hotbeds  should 
have  been  well  watered  the  night  before,  and  if  the 
number  of  plants  is  not  large,  planting  may  be 

[86] 


TRANSPLANTING 


delayed  until  the  late  afternoon  of  the  following 
day.  Planting  large  numbers  of  plants  in  this  way 
may  be  done  in  several  days.  Great  care  should 
be  exercised  in  lifting  the  plants  from  the  beds; 
they  should  not  be  grasped  by  the  handful  in  the 
hand  and  pulled  up  like  so  many  weeds — a  process 
which  leaves  most  of  the  roots  in  the  ground — but 
should  have  the  trowel  passed  well  down  below  their 
roots  and  a  section  lifted  carefully  out,  the  plants 
being  separated  as  they  are  set.  The  advantage  of 
this  method  will  be  apparent  if  one  will  compare 
the  roots  of  the  carefully  lifted  plants  with  those 
pulled  up  in  the  usual  haphazard  way.  The  latter 
will  have  one  long  root,  with  a  few  fragments  of 
side  root  adhering,  while  the  carefully  lifted  and 
separated  plant  will  show  a  fine  mass  of  fibrous 
roots,  which  will  at  once  take  hold  upon  the  soil 
in  the  new  position  and  begin  to  feed  the  plant 
and  produce  growth,  while  the  badly  lifted  plant 
must  first  replace  the  roots  of  which  it  was  so 
ruthlessly  bereft  before  it  can  give  any  nourish- 
ment or  assistance  to  the  top. 

Only  as  many  plants  should  be  lifted  at  once  as 
may  be  gotten  into  the  ground  before  they  wilt. 

Keeping  the  plants  in  good  condition  until  they 

[87] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


are  safely  in  the  ground  is  half  the  battle  in  trans- 
planting. 

In  setting  the  plants,  the  directions  for  the  sev- 
eral kinds  of  vegetables  as  to  distance  apart  of  the 
rows  and  space  between  the  plants  in  the  row 
should  be  followed,  but  the  same  general  principles 
must  be  followed  in  the  transplanting. 

A  hole  should  be  made  for  each  plant,  large 
enough  and  of  sufficient  depth  to  hold  the  roots 
in  the  same  position  they  occupied  in  the  hotbed 
and  the  roots  placed  so  that  the  plant  sets  slightly 
lower  than  it  did  in  the  hotbed.  Draw  a  portion 
of  the  soil  about  the  roots  and  press  it  down  firmly 
with  the  hands.  If  the  soil  is  very  dry,  fill  the  hole 
with  water,  and  when  it  has  nearly  soaked  away 
draw  up  the  remainder  of  the  earth  and  settle  this 
snugly,  but  not  hard,  about  the  plant;  after  all  is 
done,  go  over  the  ground  lightly  with  the  trowel,, 
so  as  to  leave  a  fine  dust  mulch  about  the  plant. 

The  work  of  planting  will  be  much  simplified 
where  the  plants  are  set  in  long  rows  by  setting 
all  the  plants  in  the  holes  before  applying  the 
water;  one  can  then  go  along  the  rows  with  a  pail 
and  dipper  and  fill  the  holes  with  water,  and  by 

the  time  the  end  of  the  row  is  reached,  the  first 

[88] 


TRANSPLANTING 

holes  will  be  ready  for  filling,  and  by  the  time 
all  are  filled,  any  moisture  which  may  work  to  the 
surface  will  have  had  time  to  appear  and  may  be 
covered  with  a  dust  mulch.  The  planting  should  all 
be  looked  over  carefully  before  leaving  to  see  if 
any  wet  spots  appear;  when  such  is  the  case,  they 
must  be  immediately  covered  with  fresh,  dry  earth. 
No  covering  or  protection  of  any  kind  need  be 
given,  except  in  case  of  frost.  The  dust  mulch 
takes  the  place  of  shingles,  paper,  or  anything  used 
to  protect  from  the  sun.  Properly  planted,  with 
the  soil  firmly  pressed  about  the  roots  and  well 
watered  and  the  protecting  dust  mulch  preventing 
the  heating  of  the  soil  or  evaporation  of  moisture, 
the  tops  exposed  to  the  fresh  air  and  sunshine,  the 
plant  is  in  the  best  possible  condition  to  withstand 
the  change  of  position;  also,  if  it  has  been  watered 
the  night  before  and  lifted  in  the  morning  before 
the  sun  has  materially  reduced  its  strength,  the 
plant  cells  are  full  of  water  and  will  not  need  to 
call  on  the  roots  for  a  supply  until  a  time  they  are 
in  a  position  to  respond. 

There  is  no  one  fallacy  I  find  so  much  trouble 
in  overcoming  in  people  I  employ  about  my  gar- 
den, or  with  whom  I  come  in  contact  in  gardening 

[89] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


matters,  as  that  of  the  necessity  of  protecting 
newly  set  plants.  I  was  brought  up  in  the  ortho- 
dox dogmas  of  gardening  and  taught  to  protect 
everything  that  went  into  the  ground  until  it  had 
taken  root,  and  I  remember  the  wearisome  hours 
spent  in  placing  shingles,  paper  caps,  and  the  like 
between  the  plant  and  any  possible  rays  of  the  sun ; 
and  I  especially  recall  several  hundred  small  plants 
which  were  once  covered  with  the  most  "  scien- 
tific "  of  paper  caps,  provided  with  an  attached 
stick  to  thrust  into  the  ground  to  hold  them  in 
place.  I  spent  the  leisure  hours  of  several  evenings 
fashioning  these  out  of  stiff  paper,  and  I  viewed 
with  pride  the  little  army  of  tents  in  orderly  array 
that  gleamed  white  in  the  morning  sun.  But  my 
pride  turned  to  humiliated  dismay  when  the  tents 
were  lifted  at  eventide  that  the  plants  might  have 
the  benefit  of  the  night  air;  fully  fifty  per  cent 
of  my  plants  lay  wilted  and  dying.  The  water  in 
the  soil,  unhindered  by  any  protecting  dust  mulch, 
had,  under  the  ardent  rays  of  the  sun,  drawn  to 
the  surface  and,  confined  within  the  narrow  con- 
fines of  the  tents,  was  rapidly  reduced  to  steam, 
and  the  poor  plants,  confined  within  a  Turkish 

bath,  were  literally  cooked  to  death.  That  ended 

[90] 


TRANSPLANTING 


my  use  of  any  kind  of  protection,  and  I  have  fre- 
quently, in  the  years  that  have  intervened  between 
that  disastrous  experience  and  to-day,  set  out 
plants  of  balsam  a  foot  in  height  in  the  hottest 
sunshine  without  a  sign  of  wilting — and  few  plants 
wilt  more  readily  than  these. 

Having  gotten  the  plants  safely  and  rightly 
into  the  ground,  let  them  alone.  This  is  another 
much-mooted  point.  Almost  everyone  who  sets 
out  plants  during  the  day  is  possessed  to  go  put- 
tering around  at  nightfall  with  a  watering  pot  or 
pail  and  dipper  with  which  to  water  the  newly  set 
plants.  This  is  not  only  unnecessary  but  actually 
harmful  if  the  plants  have  been  properly  set.  It 
destroys  the  dust  mulch  and  defeats  the  purpose 
of  all  the  care  in  planting.  Instead,  then,  of  water- 
ing the  plants,  go  over  the  rows  late  at  night  or 
early  in  the  morning  and  restore  the  dust  mulch 
to  any  part  that  shows  wet. 

Should  rain  occur  in  a  day  or  two  after  planting, 
the  ground  must  be  gone  over,  as  soon  as  it  can  be 
worked,  with  trowel,  rake,  or  hoe,  to  create  a  fresh 
mulch  of  dust. 

There  is  a  prevalent  prejudice  in  favour  of 
planting  just  before  a  rain.  That  is,  in  certain  con- 

[91] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

ditions  of  the  weather,  a  very  good  plan  to  follow. 
If  the  rain  promises  to  be  a  long  one,  or  what  is 
known  as  a  spell  of  wet  weather,  the  plants  may 
safely  go  into  the  ground,  but  if  nothing  more 
than  a  summer  shower  threatens,  which  is  likely 
to  be  followed  by  bright  sunshine,  it  will  be  well 
to  wait  until  it  clears.  Bright,  settled  weather 
offers  the  best  of  conditions  for  planting,  as  then 
one  can  control  conditions.  A  succession  of  showers, 
with  bright  sunshine,  or  hot,  muggy  weather,  is 
the  most  unfavourable  condition;  the  wet  earth, 
under  the  influence  of  a  hot  sun,  steams  and  cooks, 
and  as  there  is  no  fresh  wind  to  carry  away  the  un- 
wholesome vapours,  the  tender  plants  suffer  as 
much  as  we  do.  Cloudy  weather,  on  the  contrary, 
following  after  a  good  rain,  affords  the  very  best 
condition  for  the  establishing  of  the  plant  in  the 
ground.  As  a  usual  thing  the  plants  will  not  re- 
quire watering  for  several  days,  but  should  any 
appear  to  suffer,  a  hole  may  be  made  by  the  side 
of  the  plant  with  trowel  or  dipper  and  this  filled 
with  water  and  the  dry  mulch  restored. 

In  setting  some  plants  in  the  soil,  if  of  weak 
growth,  it  will  be  well  to  remove  a  portion  of  the 

top.  This  is  universally  done  by  Dutch  gardeners, 

[92] 


TRANSPLANTING 


who  remove  all  but  the  top  leaves  of  cabbage  and 
cauliflowers,  and  these  two  they  denude  of  the 
upper  half  of  the  leaves,  and  I  have  found  it  an 
advantage  in  my  own  practice.  It  not  only  relieves 
the  roots  of  the  care  of  the  top  to  a  great  extent, 
but,  by  lightening  the  tops,  the  weight  is  removed 
from  the  stem,  which  is  enabled  to  retain  an  up- 
right position.  Strip  every  other  plant  of  its  leaves 
and  it  will  be  standing  upright  when  the  full-leaved 
plants  are  bending  weakly  under  the  weight  of 
their  tops. 

Tomato  plants  are  often  "  drawn  "  from  crowd- 
ing and  form  what  is  known  as  a  "  knee  "  by  bend- 
ing downward  towards  the  ground  and  then  assum- 
ing an  upright  position  at  this  point  when  roots 
form  all  along  the  horizontal  part  of  the  stem.  In 
setting  the  plants  in  the  ground,  they  may  be  set 
deep  enough  to  cover  this  crooked  part  with  advan- 
tage. Where  the  plants  have  become  very  crooked 
and  drawn,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  make  the  hole  in 
the  form  of  a  shallow  trench  and  lay  the  plant 
therein,  leaving  only  the  top  exposed,  first  remov- 
ing the  leaves  below  this  point.  The  exposed  part 
will  assume  an  upright  position  as  soon  as  growth 

begins  and  make  fine,  stocky  plants. 

[93] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


All  newly  set  plants  are  at  the  mercy  of  cut- 
worms, and  the  rows  must  be  gone  over  every 
morning  early  to  see  what,  if  any,  damage  has  oc- 
curred over  night.  Wherever  a  plant  is  found  cut 
off,  immediate  search  must  be  made  for  the  cul- 
prit. A  moment's  search  will  generally  discover 
him  just  below  the  surface  of  the  soil  near  the  de- 
capitated plant.  Any  loose  dirt  or  rubbish  will 
serve  as  a  hiding  place  for  him,  and  this  tendency 
may  be  taken  advantage  of  to  trap  him  by  laying 
pieces  of  board  or  chips  on  the  ground  near  the 
plant,  under  which  he  may  hide.  But  as  he  does 
not  hide  until  he  has  had  his  meal,  this  is  much  like 
locking  the  stable  door  after  the  horse  is  stolen; 
but  then,  of  course,  his  capture  and  execution  will 
prevent  his  eating  other  plants. 

Where  the  plantings  are  small,  it  pays  to  sur- 
round the  plants  with  collars  of  stiff  paper,  three 
or  four  inches  high.  These  should  be  pressed  into 
the  ground  a  half  inch,  and  care  should  be  taken 
to  see  that  there  are  no  worms  inside  the  collar 
when  it  is  placed.  Old  tin  cans  with  the  bottoms 
burned  out  are  also  a  good  protection,  but  the 
trouble  with  these  is  that  they  must  all  be  gathered 
up  in  the  fall  and  disposed  of  in  some  way.  An- 

[94] 


TRANSPLANTING 


other  remedy  which  leaves  no  after-work  is  to 
poison  the  worms,  and  this  I  have  found  very  suc- 
cessful. Cut  clover  wet  with  sweetened  water  and 
Paris  green  is  often  used,  but  I  prefer  a  mixture 
of  corn  meal  and  Paris  green,  made  thin  enough 
to  run,  and  poured  in  a  ring  around  the  stem  of 
the  plant,  a  little  way  from  it.  The  only  objection 
to  this  is  when  chickens  are  about,  but  as  no 
little  chickens  are  likely  to  be  abroad  at  this  time 
of  the  year,  and  large  ones  should  be  in  confine- 
ment, this  is  of  little  moment,  and  the  first  cultiva- 
tion will  turn  it  under  the  soil. 

I  usually  find  it  necessary  to  go  over  the  gar- 
den every  morning  for  a  week,  and  each  time  re- 
place more  or  less  of  the  plants  before  I  am  finally 
rid  of  the  pests. 

Cabbages,  cauliflowers,  and  tomatoes  are  the 
plants  most  affected  by  the  cut-worm,  but  his 
depredations  do  not  stop  in  the  vegetable  garden, 
as  he  is  equally  destructive  to  the  flower  garden; 
and  some  vine  plants  can  never  be  secure  without 
an  encircling  collar  of  tin  or  other  substance. 


[95] 


CHAPTER    EIGHT 
TOOLS    WHICH    MAKE    GARDENING    EASY 


1  HE  number  of  tools  which  it  is  really  necessary 
for  one  to  have  is  not  large;  but  if  the  amateur 
gardener  tries  to  get  along  with  a  hoe,  a  rake,  and 
a  spade,  he  is  sure  to  have  long,  tedious  hours  of 
hard  work. 

The  tool  which  will  be  most  used  during  the 
season  is,  of  course,  the  hoe,  for  the  weeds  grow 
rapidly.  By  using  a  wheel-hoe  you  can  save  all  that 
backaching  work.  I  kept  a  three-fourths-acre  vege- 
table garden  in  good  shape  all  summer  with  one. 
Only  a  couple  of  hours  were  needed  in  which  to 
stir  the  surface  of  the  whole  garden.  This  was  done 
regularly  once  a  week  and  after  each  rain. 

The  wheel-hoe  is  the  handiest  tool  in  the  garden. 
It  may  be  fitted  with  ploughs,  rakes,  cultivator- 
teeth,  flat-hoes,  which  work  like  the  scuffle-hoe,  and 
seed-sowing  attachments.  They  cost  anywhere  from 
$3.50  up,  according  to  the  kind  you  get  and  the 
number  of  attachments  that  you  wish. 

[96]  " 


If 

( 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


PAPER   COLLAR   TO   PROTECT   PLANT   FROM 
CUT   WORMS 


A   HOME-MADE   DIBBLE 


TOOLS    WHICH    MAKE    GARDENING    EASY 


There  are  single-wheeled  and  double-wheeled 
wheel-hoes.  Some  have  small  wheels  and  others 
large.  It  is  the  small-wheeled  ones  that  have  all  the 
attachments. 

In  the  spring,  after  your  garden  is  ploughed  or 
spaded,  the  rakes  may  be  substituted  for  the  hoes 
and  the  ground  levelled.  Then  the  little  plough- 
share is  put  on,  and  the  drills  in  which  the  seeds 
are  to  be  sown  can  be  made — that  is,  if  you  are 
going  to  sow  them  by  hand.  It  is  easier,  however, 
to  have  a  seed-sowing  attachment  on  the  wheel-hoe. 
It  costs  about  $7,  but  I  really  believe  that  it  is 
worth  it.  It  saves  one  from  getting  down  on  his 
knees,  or  doubling  up  like  a  jack-knife,  when  sow- 
ing the  seed,  and,  as  the  machine  is  regulated  so 
that  the  seed  may  be  sown  any  thickness  desired 
and  the  work  done  much  more  evenly,  a  given 
quantity  of  seed  will  go  farther  than  if  sown  by 
hand.  As  soon  as  the  seed-leaves  show  above  the 
ground,  cultivating  commences  with  the  regular 
cultivator-teeth.  And  this  should  be  continued  all 
summer  long,  using  scuffle-hoes  to  cut  off  the 
weeds,  or  the  teeth  of  rakes  to  keep  the  dust  mulch 
in  good  condition. 

In  selecting  a  wheel-hoe,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
[97] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


consider  the  size  of  the  pocket-book.  I  prefer  the 
one  with  double  wheels,  for  it  can  be  used  in  most 
places  to  better  advantage  than  the  single-wheel 
hoe.  It  is  an  extremely  handy  tool  to  have  late  in 
May  and  early  in  June,  when  the  weeds  are  grow- 
ing fast.  It  is  made  to  straddle  the  row.  You  should 
fit  it  with  scuffle-hoes,  which  can  be  so  nicely  ad- 
justed that  all  the  weeds  except  those  between  the 
plants  can  be  cut  off.  It  is  especially  useful  on 
such  crops  as  onions. 

The  only  large-wheeled  hoe  which  I  ever  used 
was  like  the  one  shown  in  the  illustration.  It  is  easy 
to  run — easier,  I  think,  than  the  small-wheeled 
ones — but  it  has  the  big  disadvantage  of  not  hav- 
ing detachable  tools.  However,  if  the  hoe  is  to  be 
used  only  to  maintain  a  dust  mulch,  it  does  equally 
as  well  as  the  small-wheeled  one  and  involves  less 
labour. 

For  the  larger  garden,  which  is  to  be  cultivated 
by  horse-power,  there  are  several  good  makes  of 
cultivators,  which  have  changeable  teeth  and  hoes. 
These  cultivators  have  light,  but  strong,  steel 
frames,  so  are  easily  handled.  They  have  levers, 
by  means  of  which  the  cultivator  can  be  instantly 
changed  from  one  width  to  another,  so  that  it  can 

[98] 


TOOLS    WHICH    MAKE    GARDENING    EASY 


work  in  narrow  or  wide  rows.  Other  levers  regulate 
the  angle  at  which  the  teeth  are  set.  These  horse- 
cultivators  can  be  used  for  making  furrows,  cul- 
tivating, hoeing,  and  covering  hills  and  furrows. 
Many  times  have  I  made  the  furrows  for  my  po- 
tatoes with  this,  and  then  followed  the  boy  who 
dropped  the  seed  with  the  same  machine,  but  with 
other  attachments  to  draw  the  soil  in  the  row  and 
firm  it. 

Where  the  amount  of  cultivating  will  warrant  it, 
I  would  recommend  buying  a  spike-tooth  culti- 
vator. For  stirring  the  soil  to  create  a  dust  mulch, 
it  is  better  than  the  ordinary  cultivator  in  that  it 
does  not  leave  the  soil  in  ridges  but  perfectly  flat 
and  very  fine. 

Of  the  ordinary  hoes  there  are  a  great  variety. 
The  common  one  is  useful  for  straight  hoeing, 
and,  if  kept  sharp,  does  good  work,  but  there  are 
special  hoes  which  are  much  better;  they  do  the 
same  work  and  do  it  more  easily.  There  is  a  heart- 
shaped  hoe  which  is  particularly  useful  for  making 
furrows.  There  are  hoes  with  scalloped  edges, 
which,  if  kept  sharp,  will  cut  weeds  with  about  one- 
half  the  effort  that  is  necessary  to  draw  the  ordi- 
nary straight-edged  hoe  through  the  ground.  The 

[99] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


best  hoe  I  ever  used  for  hoeing  corn  looked  a  good 
deal  like  a  rake,  but  the  teeth  were  thin  and  half 
an  inch  broad. 

One  trouble  with  all  these  hoes  is  that  the  oper- 
ator walks  over  the  ground  he  has  already  worked, 
and  treads  the  weeds  which  have  just  been  cut 
off  back  into  the  earth,  where  they  take  root  again. 
With  a  scuffle-hoe  it  is  different.  The  best  way  to 
use  this  is  for  the  operator  to  walk  backward,  so 
that  the  newly  stirred  ground  shall  not  be  walked 
on.  Most  of  these  scuffle-hoes  have  straight  edges 
and  are  pushed,  but  there  are  V-shaped  ones  which 
are  made  to  pull,  the  ends  of  which  are  turned  up, 
so  that  the  possibility  of  cutting  off  a  plant  is  re- 
moved. When  using  an  ordinary  hoe,  one  invari- 
ably bends  his  back.  There  is  no  necessity  for  doing 
so,  but,  somehow,  nearly  every  one  does  it.  With 
a  scuffle-hoe  this  tendency  is  entirely  obviated.  You 
can  pull  or  push  a  scuffle-hoe  all  day  without  get- 
ting a  backache. 

There  is  a  scuffle-hoe  made  mounted  on  a  wheel 
which  is  pushed  "  steady  by  jerks,"  as  is  the  ordi- 
nary wheel-hoe.  Although  I  have  never  used  it,  I 
like  its  appearance  very  much. 

The  spade  is  a  necessary  tool  in  the  garden,  for 
[100] 


TOOLS  WHICH  MAKE  GARDENING  EASY 


there  is  always  more  or  less  digging  to  do.  For 
digging  celery,  I  have  found  a  small  spade  to  be 
much  better  than  those  of  the  standard  size,  but 
if  one  has  only  a  little  celery  it  would  not  be  worth 
his  while  to  get  one.  If  it  is  necessary  to  spade  the 
garden  rather  than  plough  it,  by  all  means  do  it 
with  a  spading  fork.  It  has  four  or  five  strong 
prongs.  The  difference  in  weight  between  this  and 
a  spade  is  considerable,  so  that  by  its  use  one  saves 
himself  from  lifting  a  good  many  pounds  while 
digging  over  the  garden.  Besides,  it  is  much  easier 
to  push  into  the  ground. 

A  good  garden  line  is  indispensable.  Get  a  good 
linen  line  and  keep  it  on  a  reel.  One  hundred  feet 
of  line  and  a  first-class  reel  will  cost  about  $1. 
Keep  it  dry,  or  dry  it  out  if  it  becomes  wet,  and  it 
will  last  for  years. 

For  weeding  small  plants  like  onions,  radishes, 
and  such  like,  a  hand-weeder  is  useful.  There  are 
two  types :  one  is  like  a  hand  with  bent  fingers  and 
the  other  is  a  narrow  band  of  iron  bent  at  a  right 
angle.  I  have  used  both  with  equal  success. 

A  cart  or  wheel-barrow,  or  even  both,  will  be 
found  necessary.  The  best  kind  of  a  cart  for  the 

small  garden  is  one  which  has  a  platform  with  a 

[101] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


detachable  box;  for  whenever  it  is  necessary  to 
carry  water  in  a  barrel  for  spraying  purposes,  you 
can  put  the  barrel  and  pump  on  it  in  place  of  the 
box. 

Where  large  amounts  of  corn  are  to  be  planted, 
use  a  corn-planter.  These  are  made  in  two  general 
forms :  one  to  thrust  into  the  ground  by  main  force 
where  the  corn  is  to  grow  and  the  other  is  on 
wheels,  and  by  a  mechanism  attached  to  a  driving 
wheel  the  corn  is  dropped  at  stated  intervals  into  a 
furrow  made  by  a  share  on  the  machine  and  cov- 
ered by  two  wings.  Both  these  types  of  machine 
carry  the  seed  in  a  box  or  inside  the  machine,  and 
are  so  regulated  that  the  required  number  of  ker- 
nels are  dropped  in  each  hill.  The  machines,  which 
run  on  wheels,  also  have  a  fertiliser  attachment 
which  drops  about  a  tablespoonful  of  commercial 
fertiliser  in  each  hill.  Either  of  these  tools  will  prove 
handy  and  money  savers  where  an  acre  or  more  of 
corn  has  to  be  planted. 

For  setting  out  plants,  one  can  get  a  variety  of 
trowels,  curved,  straight,  and  angled.  I  have  found 
the  angled  trowel  exceedingly  useful  in  setting  out 
such  small  plants  as  cabbage,  cauliflower,  and  the 

like. 

[102] 


TOOLS    WHICH    MAKE    GARDENING    EASY 


Do  you -ever  have  any  trouble  in  cutting  aspar- 
agus? I  did  until  I  purchased  an  asparagus  knife. 
There  are  several  forms  of  these  knives,  but  they 
are  all  made  long,  so  that  one  can  get  down  three 
or  four  inches  under  the  surface  of  the  soil  to  cut 
it  and  do  less  damage  among  the  shoots  which  have 
started. 


[103] 


CHAPTER    NINE 
ON  THE  GROWING  OF  VARIOUS  VEGETABLES 


I  HERE  are  several  forms  of  vegetables  which, 
while  the  culture  is  not  specially  dissimilar,  may 
yet,  for  convenience,  be  divided  into  five  classes: 
those  the  edible  part  of  which  is  produced  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  soil  and  are  known  as  root  vege- 
tables; those  which  set  fruit  above  ground;  those 
whose  fruit  is  produced  on  vines;  such  plants  as 
are  used  entire,  as  lettuce  and  the  various  greens, 
and  those  perennial  forms  which  include  the  aspar- 
agus, artichokes,  rhubarb  and  horse-radish,  and  the 
like. 

We  will  first  consider  the  general  culture  of  the 
plants  which  produce  heads,  pods,  ears,  or  other 
fruit,  and  which  may  be  roughly  designated  as 
head  or  pod  vegetables. 

BEANS 

Are  a  tender  class  of  vegetables,  and  the  seed  of  any 

varieties  should  not  be  planted  out  until  the  nights 

[104] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


and  soil  are  warm.  Usually  the  middle  of  May, 
at  the  North,  will  be  found  to  be  quite  early 
enough.  In  cold,  wet  soil  the  seed  will  decay  in- 
stead of  growing,  while  the  opposite  is  true  where 
the  seed  is  given  a  warm  location  and  a  warm, 
sandy  soil.  The  soil  should  be  deeply  prepared  and 
well  enriched  with  old  manure. 

The  seed  of  bush  varieties  should  be  sown  in 
drills,  two  feet  apart,  and  the  beans  dropped  two 
inches  apart  in  the  row  and  covered  two  inches  deep, 
treading  down  the  earth  after  planting. 

If  the  beans  are  to  be  used  for  string  beans  or 
fresh  shell  beans,  they  may  be  planted  every  two 
weeks  for  a  succession,  but  for  dried  beans  to  use 
with  pork  in  winter,  should  be  planted  early  and 
kept  well  cultivated  and  clean  until  the  pods  ripen 
in  the  fall. 

Beans  should  not,  for  best  results,  be  planted  in 
a  low,  wet  place  or  in  too  much  shade.  They  must 
not  be  worked  or  handled  when  wet,  as  this  will 
cause  them  to  mildew.  Therefore  a  warm,  sunny 
position,  where  they  will  dry  quickly  in  the  morn- 
ing, is  best. 

Bush  Lima  beans,  so  much  preferred  for  succo- 
tash by  many,  are  rapidly  superseding  the  pole 

[105] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Lima.  These  are  planted  the  same  as  other  bush 
beans  and  given  the  same  culture.  They  come 
fairly  true  from  seed  and  are  heavy  producers. 
They  make  an  excellent  dry  bean  for  winter  use. 
They  come  quite  true  from  seed,  but  occasionally 
a  plant  will  show  a  disposition  to  run,  and  when 
this  is  noticed,  it  will  be  well  to  pull  it  up,  as  it 
will  tangle  up  the  other  plants  and  interfere  with 
their  cultivation  and  gathering. 

One  quart  of  bean  seed  will  plant  a  hundred 
feet  of  drill  and  give  sufficient  beans  for  a  good- 
sized  family.  They  may  be  planted  for  a  succes- 
sion of  string  beans  up  to  the  fifteenth  of  August. 
Pole  varieties  yield  much  larger  crops  than  the 
bush  forms,  and  by  training  to  strings,  wire  net- 
ting, etc.,  may  be  planted  close  up  to  the  garden- 
fence  or  the  poultry-yard,  or  serve  as  a  screen  to 
hide  outbuildings  or  parts  of  the  garden  if  desired. 
The  expense  of  poles  is,  however,  avoided  by  plant- 
ing only  the  bush  varieties. 

The  varieties  most  generally  cultivated  are  the 
following : 

r  Dwarf  Golden  Wax. 

Wax  string  beans.         <  Yellow-eyed  Golden  Podded. 
(Black  Wax. 
[106] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


(  Early  Valentine. 
Green  string  beans.       •<  _,    ,     ,-,.     ,,7     , 

(  Early  Six  Weeks. 


(  Dwarf  Horticultural. 
Green  shell  beans.       4—  ,    „        ,,  T  . 

(  Burpee  s  Dwarf  Lima. 


(  Small  Pea. 

Field  or  winter  beans.  -j  White  Marrow. 
(  Red-eyed  Field. 


DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     BEANS 
STRING    BEANS 

Break  off  the  end  that  grew  upon  the  vine, 
drawing  off  at  the  same  time  the  string  upon  the 
edge ;  repeat  the  same  process  upon  the  other  edge ; 
cut  them  with  a  sharp  knife  into  pieces  half  an 
inch  long  and  boil  them  in  just  enough  water  to 
cover  them.  They  usually  require  about  an  hour 
in  which  to  cook  tender,  but  this  depends  upon 
their  age  and  freshness,  beans  which  are  at  all 
wilted  taking  much  longer. 

After  they  have  cooked  tender  and  the  water 
has  very  nearly  cooked  away,  add  pepper  and  salt, 
a  tablespoonful  of  butter,  and  half  a  cup  of  cream; 
if  no  cream  is  available,  use  milk  and  a  little  more 
butter. 

[107] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 
LIMA    AND    KIDNEY    BEANS 

These  beans  should  be  put  into  boiling  water — 
a  little  more  than  enough  to  cover  them — and  boiled 
till  tender,  about  half  an  hour  if  young  and  fresh, 
but  as  much  as  two  hours  may  be  required  if  old 
and  somewhat  wilted.  Season  with  butter,  pepper, 
and  salt. 

SUCCOTASH 

Take  a  pint  of  fresh-shelled  Lima  beans,  or  any 
large,  fresh  beans;  put  them  in  a  pot  with  enough 
cold  water  to  a  little  more  than  cover  them.  Scrape 
the  kernels  from  twelve  ears  of  young,  sweet  corn, 
first  carefully  removing  every  particle  of  silk;  put 
the  cobs  in  with  the  beans,  boiling  from  a  half  to 
three-quarters  of  an  hour.  Then  take  out  the  cobs 
and  put  in  the  corn,  boiling  fifteen  minutes.  Season 
with  salt  and  pepper  to  taste,  a  lump  of  butter  the 
size  of  an  egg,  and  half  a  cup  of  cream.  Serve  hot. 

BEAN    SALAD 

String  young  beans;  break  into  half -inch  pieces 
or  leave  whole;  wash,  and  cook  soft  in  salt  water; 

drain  well ;  add  finely  chopped  onions,  pepper,  salt, 

[108] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


and  vinegar;  when  cool,  add  olive  oil  or  melted 
butter. 

PORK    AND    BEANS 

Take  two  quarts  of  white  beans,  pick  them  over 
the  night  before,  and  put  them  to  soak  in  cold 
water ;  in  the  morning  put  them  in  fresh  water  and 
let  them  scald,  then  turn  off  the  water  and  put  on 
more,  hot;  put  to  cook  with  them  a  piece  of  fresh 
salt  pork,  as  large  as  desired  (sufficient  for  serving 
sliced  when  cold  is  desirable),  or  the  pork  may  be 
boiled  separately  and  added  to  the  beans  when  put 
in  the  oven;  this  is  less  greasy  and  more  appetis- 
ing. Boil  slowly  till  soft  (not  mashed),  then  add 
a  tablespoonful  of  molasses,  half  a  teaspoonful  of 
soda,  and  a  teaspoonful  of  made  mustard;  stir  in 
well  and  put  in  a  deep  pan  to  bake,  first  placing 
in  the  centre  of  the  bottom  of  the  pan  a  medium- 
sized  raw  onion  and  over  this  the  square  of  pork, 
pouring  the  beans  around  the  pork,  not  over  it. 
Bake  one  hour  and  a  half. 

CABBAGE 

At  the  North  cabbages  are  usually  started  in  cold- 
frames  or  hotbeds  early  in  March  and  planted  out 
as  soon  as  danger  of  killing  frosts  is  passed.  They 

[109] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


succeed  best  in  a  deep,  rich  soil,  heavily  manured, 
and  in  some  localities  cannot  be  grown  successfully 
on  the  same  ground  year  after  year;  in  other  sec- 
tions this  does  not  seem  to  make  any  difference, 
and  in  my  own  garden  they  have  grown  in  the  same 
spot  for  several  successive  seasons. 

They  should  be  well  cultivated  and  kept  free 
from  weeds.  The  cabbage  worm  is  very  trouble- 
some in  some  sections,  but  in  the  private  garden 
need  not  make  any  serious  trouble.  As  soon  as  the 
little  white  butterflies  appear,  the  plants  should  be 
watched  for  the  presence  of  eggs,  and  when  these 
are  found  and  removed,  the  worms  are  disposed 
of;  the  eggs  will  be  found  in  a  small  yellow  patch 
on  the  underside  of  the  leaves;  they  are  quite  con- 
spicuous, and  easily  removed. 

Early  cabbage  is  sometimes  given  to  cracking  as 
soon  as  ripe,  and  must  be  used  at  once,  as  the  new 
growth  commences  then.  To  prevent  this,  the  roots 
may  be  cut  off  on  one  side  of  the  plant  as  soon  as 
the  head  has  attained  its  growth  and  the  plant 
tipped  over  on  its  side ;  this  checks  growth,  and  the 
head  will  then  keep  for  some  time. 

For  late  cabbage,  seed  is  sown  in  the  open  ground 

from  April  to  June,  and  the  plants  transplanted 

[110] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


into  permanent  rows  early  in  July,  setting  the 
plants  in  rows  two  and  a  half  feet  apart  and  two 
feet  apart  in  the  rows,  which  is  the  space  allowed 
the  early  cabbage.  The  cabbage  fly  is  likely  to  trou- 
ble the  young  seedling  cabbage  plants,  and  they 
should  be  dusted  with  wood  ashes,  air-slacked  lime, 
tobacco  dust,  or  road  dust,  as  soon  as  the  plants 
are  above  ground ;  this  should  be  done  while  yet  the 
plants  are  wet  with  dew  in  the  morning. 

The  Early  Jersey  Wakefield  is  one  of  the  best 
early  cabbages,  being  very  solid  and  hard  and  of 
conical  shape.  For  those  who  prefer  a  looser  head, 
the  Flat  Dutch  varieties  are  excellent. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     CABBAGE 
BOILED    CABBAGE 

It  is  best  boiled  with  corned  beef,  and  should  be 
cooked  whole  or  divided  in  halves  or  quarters  ac- 
cording to  the  size  of  the  head.  It  should  be  very 
carefully  washed  and  looked  over  before  adding  to 
the  meat,  as  worms  and  other  undesirable  tenants 
are  sometimes  inclosed  within  its  leaves.  The  large 
Drumhead  cabbages  require  an  hour  to  boil,  while 
the  green,  Savoy  cabbage  will  cook  in  a  half -hour, 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


so  that  they  should  be  added  to  the  meat  the  neces- 
sary length  of  time  before  the  former  will  be  done. 
Over-cooking  must  be  avoided,  as  it  makes  the 
cabbage  watery. 

Pepper  vinegar  is  a  delicious  condiment  to  serve 
with  boiled  cabbage,  and  is  made  by  putting  an 
ounce  of  the  seed  of  cayenne  peppers  in  a  quart  bot- 
tle and  filling  up  with  white-wine  vinegar;  this  is 
corked  and  allowed  to  remain  for  several  weeks, 
or  until  the  strength  of  the  pepper  seeds  is  all 
extracted,  when  it  should  be  turned  off  carefully 
into  vinegar  cruets. 

WABM  SLAW 

To  prepare  this  delicious  dish  of  cabbage,  slice 
the  cabbage  fine  with  a  sharp  knife  or  slaw-cutter 
and  put  over  the  stove  in  a  skillet,  with  a  little 
butter  or  fry-grease.  Have  ready  a  half  cup  of 
cream  and  the  yolk  of  two  eggs,  well  beaten  to- 
gether, and  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper  and 
sharp  vinegar  to  taste.  Turn  this  over  the  cabbage 
and  allow  it  to  come  to  the  boil,  but  not  to  cook, 
and  serve  at  once. 


[112] 


A  GOOD   COLLECTION   OF    HOME-GROWN   VEGETABLES 
LETTUCE   MATURING   IN   HOME-MADE   COLDFRAME 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


CREAMED    CABBAGE 

Slice  the  cabbage  as  for  slaw;  beat  together  the 
yolks  of  two  eggs,  one-half  cup  of  sugar,  one-half 
cup  of  vinegar,  butter  size  of  an  egg,  salt,  and  a 
little  cayenne  pepper.  Put  the  mixture  into  a  sauce- 
pan and  stir  until  it  boils;  then  stir  in  one  cup  of 
cream,  boil,  and  turn  over  the  cabbage  while  hot. 

CABBAGE    SALAD 

Beat  up  two  eggs  with  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
sugar,  add  a  piece  of  butter  the  size  of  half  an  egg, 
a  teaspoonful  of  mustard,  a  little  pepper,  and 
lastly  half  a  cup  of  vinegar.  Put  all  these  ingredi- 
ents in  a  dish  over  the  fire  and  cook  like  a  soft 
custard.  Add  half  a  teacup  of  thick,  sweet  cream, 
but  when  this  is  done  use  less  vinegar. 

CAULIFLOWERS 

Are  given  practically  the  same  culture  as  cab- 
bages, starting  the  plants  in  the  hotbed  in  April 
and  planting  out  when  danger  of  heavy  frost  is 
past. 

Particular  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  young 

plants  for  the  first  week,  as  they  are  very  liable  to 

[113] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

be  cut  off  by  cut-worms.  When  this  occurs,  the 
only  remedy  is  to  replace  the  plants  with  others 
from  the  coldf rame. 

Spring  outdoor-started  plants  will  not  give 
very  early  cauliflowers,  but  will  come  on  in  July 
and  August,  and  are  used  for  pickling  as  well  as  for 
the  table.  Where  it  is  desired  to  grow  cauliflowers 
for  the  summer  use  on  the  table,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  start  the  plants  very  early  in  the  hotbeds, 
or  in  the  South  start  in  the  fall  and  winter  them 
in  coldframes,  and  plant  out  as  early  in  spring  as 
the  ground  can  be  worked.  The  wintering  in  cold- 
frames  hardens  them,  so  that  this  early  planting 
is  possible,  which  is  not  the  case  with  the  tender 
greenhouse  or  hotbed  plants.  At  the  North,  plants 
of  the  cabbage  and  cauliflower  cannot  well  be  kept 
over  in  coldframes. 

If  there  is  a  rather  wet,  low  spot  in  the  garden, 
it  may  be  used  for  the  cauliflower  better  than  for 
almost  any  other  vegetable. 

The  cabbage  worm  often  causes  serious  trouble 
with  the  cauliflowers,  and  as  soon  as  the  little  white 
butterflies  are  seen  hovering  about  the  plants, 
search  must  be  made  for  the  eggs  and  these  de- 
stroyed. They  will  be  found  on  the  underside  of 

[114] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


the  leaves — a  little  patch  of  yellow  eggs — and  are 
easily  removed. 

As  soon  as  the  curd,  or  head,  is  set  and  is  as 
large  as  a  teacup,  the  plant  must  be  tied  up  by 
drawing  the  tips  of  the  leaves  together  and  tying 
them  with  a  string.  This  must  never  be  done,  how- 
ever, when  it  is  wet  with  rain  or  dew.  Mid-day,  on  a 
bright  day,  is  the  best  time  for  the  work.  If  tied 
up  when  the  leaves  or  curd  is  wet,  the  heads  will 
decay;  if  not  tied  up,  a  second  growth  will  quickly 
start  and  ruin  the  heads. 

Unlike  cabbage,  cauliflowers  cannot  be  kept 
during  winter,  being  very  perishable,  and  must 
be  used  within  a  day  or  two  of  attaining  perfec- 
tion, or  the  flavour  is  impaired.  Cauliflower  is  one 
of  the  most  delicious  of  table  vegetables  and  should 
come  into  general  use;  it  is  far  more  delicate  in 
flavour  than  cabbage,  and  one  of  the  most  attract- 
ive vegetables  which  appears  on  the  table. 

Very  good  cauliflower  may  be  raised  by  the  or- 
dinary culture  given  cabbage — cauliflowers  aver- 
aging eight  or  nine  inches  across — but  to  grow 
really  fine  heads,  a  foot  or  fifteen  inches  in  diameter, 
snowy  white,  and  perfect,  requires  special  culture. 

To  this  end  the  plants  must  have  an  abundant  water 

[115] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


supply  during  the  dry  months  of  the  summer, 
watering  every  other  day,  and  cultivating  between 
times.  Liquid  manure  should  be  given  at  least  once 
a  week,  and  twice  a  week  will  be  better.  With  this 
extra  care,  cauliflowers  may  be  produced  that  will 
be  the  envy  of  one's  neighbours,  and  may  contend 
for  the  blue  ribbon  at  the  county  fair. 

Cauliflowers  do  better  during  cool  weather,  and 
are  at  their  best  in  the  late  days  of  September  and 
October.  A  light  frost  seems  to  benefit  rather  than 
injure  them,  and  tying  the  leaves  over  the  curd 
protects  them  from  even  a  severe  frost,  but  when 
a  frost  has  cut  the  leaves  badly,  the  curds  should 
be  gathered  and  used,  as  decay  sets  in  very  soon 
after. 

In  watering  cauliflowers,  the  water  should  be 
poured  about  the  roots,  never  over  the  tops  of 
plants  which  have  set  heads ;  a  system  of  irrigation 
would  be  of  much  benefit  to  this  plant. 

DIRECTIONS    FOR    COOKING    CAULIFLOWER 

In  preparing  cauliflower  for  cooking,  it  must  be 
very  carefully  washed  and  looked  over ;  if  worms 

have  been  present  on  the  heads,  it  will  be  better  to 

[116] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


separate  the  head  into  small  segments  rather  than 
to  try  to  cook  it  entire,  which  is  the  more  attractive 
way  of  serving  it. 

BOILED    CAULIFLOWER 

Cook  whole,  or  divide  in  segments  and  cook  in 
salted  water  until  tender.  If  served  whole,  make  a 
dressing  of  cream,  butter,  pepper,  and  salt,  and 
turn  over  and  around  the  cauliflower  served  on  a 
platter.  If  broken  in  pieces,  drain  off  the  water 
from  the  cauliflower  and  add  a  half  teacup  of 
cream,  a  small  tablespoonful  of  butter  and  pepper, 
and  salt  to  taste.  Serve  hot. 

FRIED    CAULIFLOWER 

Boil  the  cauliflower  until  about  half  done;  mix 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  flour  with  the  yolks  of  two 
eggs,  then  add  enough  water  to  make  a  rather  thin 
paste;  add  salt  to  taste.  The  two  whites  are  beaten 
till  stiff  and  then  mixed  with  the  yolks,  flour,  and 
water.  Dip  each  branch  of  the  cauliflower  into  the 
mixture  and  fry  them  in  hot  fat.  When  done,  take 
them  out  with  a  skimmer,  turn  into  a  colander, 

dust  salt  all  over,  and  serve  warm. 

[117] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 
PICKLED    CAULIFLOWER 

Break  the  heads  into  small  pieces  and  boil  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes  in  salt  water ;  remove  from  the  water 
and  drain  carefully.  When  cold,  place  in  glass  cans 
and  pour  over  them  white-wine  vinegar,  boiling 
hot,  if  a  clear,  white  pickle  is  desired.  If  a  mustard 
pickle  is  preferred,  add  a  liberal  supply  of  whole 
cloves,  pepper,  allspice,  and  white  mustard  seed, 
tied  in  a  bag  and  scald  in  the  vinegar;  remove 
from  the  fire,  and  add  to  each  quart  of  the  vine- 
gar two  teaspoonfuls  of  French  mustard  and  half 
a  cup  of  white  sugar.  Turn  this  over  the  cauli- 
flower in  the  cans,  making  sure  that  the  vinegar 
covers  the  cauliflower,  and  seal  the  same  as  canned 
fruit.  A  few  red-pepper  pods  added  to  the  clear 
vinegar  of  the  plain  pickle  adds  much  to  its  ap- 
pearance. 

SWEET    CORN 

Is  one  of  the  more  tender  vegetables  the  seed  of 
which  should  not  be  planted  until  all  danger  of 
frost  is  passed.  This,  at  the  North,  will  be  as  late 
as  the  twentieth  of  May,  though  a  chance  crop  my 

be  planted  by  May  1st  on  light,  warm  soil.  One 

[118] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 

quart  of  seed  will  plant  two  hundred  hills,  which 
should  be  made  three  feet  apart  each  way.  The  seed 
should  be  planted  in  slightly  raised  hills,  dropping 
a  number  of  kernels  in  each  hill  to  allow  for  any 
failing  to  sprout;  after  the  corn  is  up,  these  extra 
plants  should  be  pulled  out,  leaving  three  plants 
in  a  hill.  The  extra  early  sorts  may  be  planted  in 
rows  two  and  a  half  feet  apart,  and  the  hills 
eighteen  inches  apart.  Plant  the  seed  half  an  inch 
deep,  and  either  tramp  upon  it  or  pat  it  down  firmly 
with  the  hoe.  Where  the  ground  is  not  very  heavily 
manured,  a  tablespoonful  of  phosphate  may  be 
placed  in  each  hill  with  benefit. 

When  the  corn  has  attained  three  or  more  feet 
in  height,  it  will  be  well  to  go  through  the  rows 
and  pull  out  all  side  shoots  and  those  which  will 
not  set  ear,  allowing  the  entire  strength  of  the 
plant  to  go  to  the  making  of  corn. 

The  green  shoots  removed  makes  excellent  feed 
for  the  horse,  cow,  or  pig,  and  is  greatly  relished 
by  them.  Corn  is,  of  all  garden  vegetables,  the  most 
economical  to  grow,  as  there  is  absolutely  no  waste, 
such  corn  as  may  not  be  used  for  the  table  making 
the  finest  feed  for  the  poultry  in  winter,  especially 
for  the  fattening  of  cockerels,  and  the  cornstalks, 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

if  cut  before  they  are  too  dry,  makes  excellent  fod- 
der for  stock  of  any  kind. 

Corn  may  be  planted  every  two  weeks,  for  a 
succession,  until  the  middle  of  July. 

For  early  corn,  one  must  plant  the  extra  early 
varieties,  such  as  the  Cory,  Golden  Bantum, 
Aristocrat,  or  the  Early  Evergreen,  but  for 
toothsome  sweetness  there  is  no  corn  to  equal 
Stowell's  Evergreen,  and  the  later  the  season  the 
sweeter  and  better  it  is.  We  are  now — October  7th 
— eating  Stowell's  Evergreen  that  is  far  better  and 
sweeter  than  the  earlier  planting  of  the  same  vari- 
ety, though  we  have  had  several  sharp  frosts — frosts 
that  have  bady  cut  the  field  corn;  but  the  sweet 
corn,  being  somewhat  protected  by  trees,  has  suf- 
fered little,  if  any,  injury. 

Corn  should  be  cultivated  thoroughly  and  con- 
stantly as  long  as  it  is  safe  to  work  among  it;  this 
will  admit  of  half  a  dozen  cultivations  each  way 
at  least,  and  at  the  end  of  this  time  the  ground 
should  be  in  the  condition  that  few,  if  any,  weeds 
will  appear. 


[120] 


THE     GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     CORN 
TO    BOIL 

Corn  for  boiling  should  be  perfectly  fresh,  as  it 
loses  its  sweetness  in  a  few  hours,  and  must  have 
sugar  added  to  the  water  in  which  it  is  cooked  to 
restore  it.  Remove  the  outer  husks  and  strip  back 
the  inner,  so  that  the  silk  may  be  removed;  this 
should  be  very  carefully  done  and  the  husks  re- 
placed. Put  in  boiling  water  and  boil  for  twenty 
minutes  and  serve  hot,  first  removing  the  husks. 
The  object  of  leaving  the  husks  on  is  that  the  corn, 
cooked  in  this  way,  is  much  sweeter  than  when  the 
husks  are  removed. 

CORN    FRITTERS 

One  pint  of  grated  corn,  one-half  teacup  milk, 
one-half  teacup  flour,  one  small  teaspoonful  baking 
powder,  one  tablespoonful  melted  butter,  two  eggs, 
and  one  teaspoonful  salt,  a  little  pepper.  Form  into 
cone-shaped  balls,  roll  in  beaten  eggs  and  bread 
crumbs,  and  fry  a  delicate  brown  in  deep  lard. 

CORN  SOUP 
Split  the  grains  of  one  dozen  ears  of  corn  and 

scrape  from  the  cob.  Boil  the  cobs  in  enough  water 

[121] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


to  cover  them  for  ten  minutes.  Strain  this  water 
and  use  one  quart.  Add  to  it  slowly  one  quart  of 
cream,  then  the  corn.  Season  and  cook  fifteen 
minutes.  Milk  can  be  used  instead  of  cream,  thick- 
ened with  one  tablespoonful  each  of  butter  and 
flour  rubbed  together.  Serve  at  once. 

EGG-PLANT 

This  is  one  of  the  few  vegetables  requiring  spe- 
cial care  in  cultivation.  The  seed  should  be  started 
in  a  warm  hotbed  in  April,  and  as  soon  as  the 
plants  are  three  inches  high  they  should  be  potted 
off  into  small  pots  and  plunged  back  into  the  soil 
of  the  beds.  They  may  be  transplanted  into  the 
open  ground  when  the  weather  is  quite  settled  and 
the  soil  and  nights  warm,  or  they  may  be  repotted 
into  larger  pots  and  set  out  in  the  open  ground 
the  first  of  June. 

Egg-plants  require  a  great  deal  of  heat  at  the 
start,  and  if  they  receive  a  setback  at  this  time, 
rarely  recover,  so  that  every  effort  should  be  made 
to  keep  them  from  being  chilled,  while  at  the  same 
time  giving  them  the  necessary  amount  of  ventila- 
tion. It  is  well  in  planting  the  seed  of  egg-plants 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


to  reserve  a  portion  in  case  the  first  sowing  should 
fail  and  a  later  one  need  to  be  made. 

After  the  plants  are  of  a  size  to  be  planted  out 
there  is  little  difference  in  the  culture  accorded 
them  and  that  given  other  vegetables,  but  they 
should  not  be  allowed  to  suffer  for  water,  and  a 
weekly  dose  of  liquid  manure  after  the  plants 
bloom  will  be  of  benefit. 

When  about  a  foot  high,  the  earth  should  be 
drawn  up  about  the  stem  in  cultivating.  The  plants 
are  often  seriously  injured  by  the  potato-bug,  which 
eats  the  stem  of  the  blossom  at  the  point  where  it 
curves  over,  seldom,  to  any  extent,  the  leaves  of  the 
plant.  Whenever  the  bug  appears  early  in  the 
season,  the  plants  should  be  gone  over  daily  to 
catch  and  destroy  it,  or  they  may  be  sprayed  with 
Paris  green,  which  at  this  stage  will  do  no  harm. 
The  destruction  of  these  first  blossoms  will  make 
two  or  three  weeks'  difference  in  the  maturing  of 
the  first  crop  and  must  be  met  energetically.  These 
first  bugs  which  appear  lay  their  eggs  on  the  under- 
side of  the  leaves,  and  these  must  be  looked  for 
and  destroyed  and  little  subsequent  trouble  will  be 
experienced. 

Curiously  enough,  for  a  plant  which  starts  out 
[123] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


in  life  so  peculiarly  sensitive  to  cold,  the  egg-plant 
is  not  hurt  by  light  fall  frost,  and  I  have  gathered 
and  marketed  very  fair  eggs  long  after  the  frost 
had  destroyed  tomatoes  and  other  garden  stuff. 

The  first  eggs  are  always  the  largest,  the  fruit 
growing  smaller  as  the  season  advances;  especially 
is  this  true  when  water  and  liquid  manure  is  with- 
held. 

The  best  variety  to  raise  is  the  Early  Black 
Beauty  or  the  Improved  New  York. 

DIRECTIONS    FOR    COOKING    EGG-PLANT 

The  most  common  way  of  cooking  egg-plant  is 
to  fry  it,  the  plant  being  cut  in  thin  slices,  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  through,  and  laid  in  water  to 
which  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  has  been  added.  Leave 
them  in  the  water  for  half  an  hour,  but  do  not  take 
from  the  water  until  ready  to  cook,  as  their  ex- 
posure to  the  air  will  cause  them  to  turn  black. 
Have  ready  a  beaten  egg  and  some  sifted  bread 
crumbs.  Season  the  egg  with  pepper  and  salt;  also 
slightly  season  the  crumbs.  Dip  the  slices  in  the 
crumbs,  first  wiping  them  dry  with  a  cloth,  and 
then  in  the  beaten  egg,  and  roll  once  more  in  the 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 

crumbs;  have  ready  a  hot  frying  pan  in  which  has 
been  melted  a  tablespoonful  of  butter  and  fry  a 
light  brown;  they  will  fry  in  ten  minutes.  Serve 
hot. 

STUFFED    EGG-PLANT 

Cut  the  egg-plant  in  two,  scrape  out  all  the  in- 
side, and  place  it  in  a  saucepan  with  a  little  minced 
ham;  cover  with  water  and  boil  until  soft;  drain 
off  the  water  and  add  two  tablespoonfuls  of  grated 
crumbs,  a  tablespoonful  of  butter,  half  a  minced 
onion,  salt,  and  pepper;  stuff  each  half  of  the  hull 
with  this  mixture;  add  a  small  lump  of  butter  to 
each,  and  bake  fifteen  minutes.  Minced  veal  or 
chicken  is  equally  as  good  as  ham,  and  many  pre- 
fer it. 

Egg-plants  may  be  eaten  from  the  time  they  are 
the  size  of  a  teacup  until  they  are  full  grown  and 
the  seeds  begin  to  harden,  but  it  is  better  to  let  the 
first  fruits  attain  full  size  if  possible. 

OKRA 

This  vegetable  is  grown  for  the  green  pods  which 
are  used  in  soups,  to  which  it  imparts  a  rich  gelat- 
inous quality,  and  are  as  easily  grown  as  peppers, 

requiring  about  the  same  culture.  The  seed  should 

[125] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


not  be  sown  until  the  ground  is  warm — about  the 
middle  of  May;  it  should  be  sown  rather  thickly  in 
drills,  three  feet  apart,  sowing  the  seed  an  inch 
deep  and  thinning  when  large  enough  to  stand  ten 
inches  apart  in  the  rows. 

The  pods  must  be  used  while  young  and  tender, 
as  when  fully  grown  they  are  very  tough,  though 
they  may  still  be  used  to  flavour  soups. 

Keep  well  hoed  and  free  from  weeds. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     OKRA 
OKRA    SOUP 

Fry  out  the  fat  of  a  slice  of  bacon  or  fat  ham, 
drain  it  off,  and  in  it  fry  the  slices  of  a  large  onion 
brown;  scald,  peel,  and  cut  up  two  quarts  fresh 
tomatoes  (canned  ones  will  do),  and  cut  thin  one 
quart  of  okra;  put  them  together  with  a  little 
chopped  parsley,  in  a  stew  kettle  with  about  two 
quarts  of  broth  of  any  kind;  cook  slowly  for  three 
hours;  season  with  salt  and  pepper,  and  serve  hot. 

OKKA    AS    A    VEGETABLE 

Put  the  young  and  tender  pods  of  long,  white 
okra  in  salted  boiling  water  in  granite,  porcelain, 
or  a  tin-lined  saucepan,  as  contact  with  iron  will 


THE    GROWING    OP    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 

blacken  them;  boil  fifteen  minutes,  remove  the 
stems,  and  serve  with  pepper,  salt,  butter,  and,  if 
preferred,  vinegar. 

PEPPERS 

Are  grown  from  seed  started  early  in  April  in 
the  hotbed  or  in  flats  in  the  house  and  planted  out 
when  all  danger  of  frost  is  passed.  They  require 
rich,  well-drained  soil  and  a  sunny  situation.  Where 
the  supply  of  manure  is  limited,  a  spoonful  of 
phosphate  may  be  placed  in  each  hill  as  the  plants 
are  set,  and  more  be  scattered  about  the  plants  and 
hoed  or  raked  in  unless  the  growth  is  satisfactory. 
Set  out  in  rows  two  feet  apart,  setting  the  plants 
eighteen  inches  apart  in  the  rows. 

The  culture  that  will  produce  good  corn,  cab- 
bage, or  tomatoes  will  be  right  for  peppers,  as  they 
are  of  easy  culture.  Hen  manure  may  be  used  with 
this  plant,  as  it  is  one  of  the  few  plants  which  is 
not  injured  by  the  application  of  so  strong  a  fer- 
tiliser. 

The  plants  come  into  bearing  in  July,  and  if  the 
first  peppers  are  removed  while  green,  the  succeed- 
ing fruits  will  come  forward  more  rapidly  than  if 
the  peppers  are  allowed  to  ripen. 

[127] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Chinese  Giant,  Magnum  Dulce,  and  Sweet 
Spanish  Giant  are  the  best  of  the  large  sweet  pep- 
pers, the  latter  being  a  long  pepper,  from  two  to 
three  inches  wide  and  six  to  eight  long ;  this  variety 
is  rather  more  shapely  for  stuffed  mangoes  than 
the  bull-nosed  varieties.  The  large  squat  peppers 
are  excellent  for  table  use,  being  prepared  in  vari- 
ous ways. 

Several  of  the  hot  and  pickle  varieties  of  peppers 
are  both  useful  and  ornamental,  the  Celestial  or 
Christmas  variety  being  especially  ornamental. 
These  may  be  grown  in  pots  on  the  kitchen  win- 
dow and  the  fruit  enjoyed  throughout  the  winter. 
They  are  an  attractive  addition  to  pickled  cauli- 
flowers, onions,  and  the  like. 

The  Tabasco  is  an  especially  beautiful  pepper, 
bearing  its  fruit  in  sprays  of  brightest  red,  which 
are  extremely  fiery  and  pungent,  and  the  seeds  may 
be  used  for  making  pepper  vinegar  instead  of 
the  cayenne. 

DIRECTIONS    FOR     COOKING    PEPPERS 
FRIED    PEPPERS 

Fried  peppers  form  a  most  appetising  dish  and 

one  which  is   a  very   satisfactory   substitute  for 

[128] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


meat.  Either  the  green  or  ripe  peppers  may  be 
used,  the  flavour  of  the  ripe  fruit  being  somewhat 
the  finer,  and  their  appearance  on  the  table  very 
attractive.  In  preparing  the  fruit,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  cut  in  two  lengthwise  and  flatten,  first  re- 
moving all  seeds,  or  to  cut  in  rings  and  fry  in  hot 
butter  or  good  drippings — that  from  bacon  or  ham 
being  excellent.  The  cooking  and  preparation  is  so 
quickly  accomplished  that  it  may  be  prepared  at  a 
moment's  notice. 

STUFFED    PEPPERS 

Are  prepared  by  cutting  a  slice  off  the  stem  end 
and  removing  the  seeds  and  central  core.  The  pep- 
pers are  then  stuffed  with  finely  minced  veal  or 
other  meat,  mixed  with  a  tablespoonful  of  bread 
crumbs  and  a  spoonful  of  butter,  and  seasoned 
with  salt  and  pepper.  Replace  the  tops  and  bake  in 
a  pan  to  which  a  small  quantity  of  water  or  beef 
stock  has  been  added  until  the  shells  are  tender. 

Another  appetising  dish  is  prepared  by  filling 
the  cases  with  rice  and  Parmesan  cheese;  cooked 
rice  is  mixed  with  the  grated  cheese  in  the  propor- 
tion of  one  cupful  of  rice  to  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
cheese  and  one  of  melted  butter.  When  this  has 

[129] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

been  seasoned  to  taste  with  salt  and  paprika,  the 
pepper  cases,  which  have  been  cut  in  two  length- 
wise and  the  seeds  removed,  are  filled  with  the 
rice  and  placed  in  the  oven,  and  covered  for  the 
first  half  hour,  the  cover  being  then  removed  until 
the  rice  is  browned. 

Pepper  cases  are  used  for  serving  individual 
salads,  and  are  especially  handy  for  Russian  salads 
and  similar  concotions. 

PICKLED    PEPPERS 

Select  firm,  sound,  green  peppers,  and  add  a 
few  red  ones,  as  they  are  ornamental  and  look  well 
upon  the  table.  With  a  sharp  knife  remove  the  top, 
take  out  the  seeds,  soak  over  night  in  salt  water, 
then  fill  with  shredded  cabbage  and  chopped  green 
tomatoes,  one  red  pepper,  seeds  and  all,  and  season 
with  salt,  mustard  seed,  and  ground  cloves.  Sew 
on  the  top.  Boil  vinegar  sufficient  to  cover  them 
with  a  cup  of  brown  sugar,  and  pour  over  the  man- 
goes. Do  this  three  mornings  and  seal. 

PEAS 

Sow  peas  as  early  as  the  ground  can  be  worked 

in  spring;  old  gardeners  usually  claim  that  they 

[130] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


like  to  have  the  last  snow  find  their  peas  in  the 
ground;  certain  it  is  that  peas  like  a  cool  soil,  and 
often  fail  to  germinate  when  the  weather  and  soil 
is  warm.  The  dwarf  varieties  are  usually  preferred 
for  the  private  garden,  but  will  not  bear  as  heavily 
as  the  taller  sorts;  but  as  these  require  brushing, 
the  difference  in  labour  is  by  many  considered  to 
more  than  offset  their  extra  productiveness.  Poul- 
try netting  makes  ideal  support  for  the  tall-grow- 
ing sorts,  and  if  rolled  up  and  stood  in  a  dry  place 
after  the  peas  are  gathered,  will  last  a  lifetime. 

The  wrinkled  varieties  are  far  ahead  in  tender 
sweetness  of  the  smooth  varieties,  but  as  they  are 
not  as  hardy,  they  should  be  planted  in  well- 
drained,  warm,  sandy  ground  for  the  first  planting. 

Peas  may  be  planted  for  a  succession  every  two 
weeks  up  to  the  middle  of  June,  then  should  be 
discontinued  until  the  middle  of  August,  when  sow- 
ings of  the  extra-early  varieties  may  be  made  for 
a  late  crop. 

In  planting,  sow  in  double  rows,  six  to  eight 
inches  apart,  the  rows  from  two  to  three  feet  apart. 
Plant  the  seed  four  inches  deep  and  tread  down 
the  rows,  going  over  the  rows  lightly  with  the 

lawn  rake  when  all  the  seeds  are  in.  This  deep  plant- 

[131] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ing  prevents  mildew,  and  the  seed  is  less  apt  to  be 
disturbed  by  moles. 

American  Wonder  and  Nott's  Excelsior  are  of 
the  best  of  the  wrinkled  peas,  Nott's  Excelsior 
being  a  rather  freer  bearer,  owing  to  possessing 
more  top.  American  Wonder  is  but  one  foot  in 
height,  and  has  not  sufficient  top  to  be  a  very 
profitable  pea  except  for  the  home  garden;  but  as 
peas  are  one  of  the  few  vegetables  which  may  be 
grown  in  successive  crops  on  the  same  ground,  the 
plants  may  be  pulled  up  as  soon  as  through  bear- 
ing and  another  planting  of  seeds  made  in  the  same 
place. 

Champion  of  England  is  an  excellent  late  pea 
of  the  wrinkled  sort  and  of  fine  flavour ;  it  requires 
brushing  or  should  be  given  wire-netting  support. 

The  main  crop  of  peas,  which  are  grown  through 
the  warmer  months,  may  be  planted  to  advantage 
on  a  heavier  soil;  they  should  be  kept  cultivated 
and  free  from  weeds  and  the  earth  drawn  up 
against  the  vines  a  couple  of  times  before  matur- 
ing. This  is  all  the  culture  required,  peas  being  one 
of  the  easiest  vegetables  to  grow. 


[132] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  COOKING  PEAS 
It  is  customary  with  most  cooks  to  cook  peas  in 
considerable  water,  and  when  done  to  turn  off  the 
surplus  water  and  add  butter,  pepper,  and  salt. 
The  flavour  of  the  peas  and  the  sweetness  will  be 
better  retained,  however,  if  only  sufficient  water  to 
cook  them  is  used,  so  that  it  may  not  be  necessary 
to  discard  any  of  it.  If  the  pods  are  washed  very 
clean  and  are  then  cooked  until  tender  and  the 
water  strained  from  them  and  used  to  cook  the 
peas,  all  the  sweetness  and  flavour  will  be  retained. 
After  cooking,  add  half  a  cup  of  cream,  a  lump  of 
butter,  and  salt  to  taste.  Salt  should  never  be  put 
to  the  peas  until  nearly  or  quite  done,  as  it  has  a 
tendency  to  harden  them. 


PEAS   AS   AN   ENTREE 


Cut  out  with  a  cookie-cutter  a  round  of  bread 
from  an  ordinary  slice  of  bread;  cut  two  rings 
with  a  doughnut  cutter;  dip  them  in  melted  but- 
ter and  toast  them  a  delicate  brown  in  the  oven  or 
fry  daintily  in  deep  fat,  drying  on  a  wire  sieve ;  fill 
the  cavities  with  tender  young  peas  cooked  in  a 

delicate  cream  sauce. 

[133] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Peas  as  an  entree  may  also  be  served  in  cups 
made  of  boiled  turnips,  the  turnips  being  first 
boiled  whole  and  then  removed  from  the  fire,  the 
centres  scooped  out,  mashed,  and  served  as  a  sepa- 
rate dish;  the  peas,  boiled  and  dressed  with  a  white 
sauce,  or  simply  with  butter,  pepper,  salt,  and 
cream,  and  dusted  with  bread  crumbs  and  a  bit  of 
butter,  being  returned  to  the  oven  for  a  moment 
to  heat  and  slightly  brown. 

TOMATOES 

Start  tomatoes  by  sowing  seed  in  a  hotbed  in 
spring,  or  start  them  in  flats  in  the  house  and  plant 
them  in  the  open  ground  when  all  danger  of  frost  is 
passed.  They  require  well-manured  soil,  and  when 
there  is  a  limited  supply  of  fertiliser,  it  will  be  well 
to  put  two  or  three  spadefuls  in  each  hill,  spread- 
ing it  over  a  couple  of  square  feet  of  surface,  as  the 
tomato  makes  considerable  root  growth.  Plant  in 
rows,  four  feet  apart  each  way  if  no  support  is  to 
be  given,  three  feet  if  the  plants  are  to  be  grown 
on  racks  or  trellises.  There  is  a  wire-tomato  sup- 
port on  the  market  that  is  admirable  and  quite 
within  the  reach  of  the  small  private  garden.  I  am 

of  the  opinion,  however,  that  tomatoes  grown  on 

[134] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 

the  ground  produce  more  fruit  than  when  grown 
on  racks,  for  this  reason:  as  soon  as  the  plants 
have  attained  much  size,  they  become  recumbent, 
lying  on  the  ground,  and  wherever  a  joint  of  a 
branch  touches  the  ground,  it  immediately  makes 
roots  and  so  begins  to  draw  nourishment  from  the 
soil,  and  is  for  this  reason  better  able  to  produce 
an  abundant  crop  than  the  plant  grown  upright 
on  a  frame  with  but  one  supporting  root. 

Keep  the  plants  well  cultivated  and  free  from 
weeds.  As  soon  as  the  plant  begins  to  blossom 
pinch  off  the  ends  of  the  shoots  beyond  the  flowers 
that  fruit  may  set  early.  This  will  materially  hasten 
the  ripening  of  the  first  fruit  set. 

In  the  fall,  at  the  approach  of  hard  frost,  the 
green  tomatoes  may  be  gathered  and  placed  on 
racks  in  a  warm,  sunny  position,  where  they  will 
continue  to  ripen  for  some  time,  or  the  plants  may 
be  dug  up,  the  roots  wrapped  in  burlap,  and  hung 
in  a  warm,  sunny  place,  where  the  fruit  will  ripen 
very  well;  I  have  kept  them  in  the  barn  until  No- 
vember in  this  way.  Or  use  may  be  made  of  an 
empty  hotbed,  in  which  the  green  tomatoes  are 
placed  on  racks  or  on  a  bed  of  straw,  and  so  con- 
tinue to  enjoy  them  far  beyond  their  usual  season. 

[135] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


For  the  private  garden  the  Stone  tomato  is  one 
of  the  very  best,  being  smooth,  round,  large, 
and  prolific,  and  exceptionally  free  from  spot  and 
with  very  little  seed ;  it  is  not  as  early  a  ripener,  how- 
ever, as  some  of  the  varieties  favoured  by  market 
gardeners.  Sparks  Earliana  is  an  extra-early  sort, 
and  is  more  hardy  in  plant  than  the  Stone,  and  a 
few  plants  of  this  variety  may  be  set  out  to  advance 
the  season,  using  the  Stone  or  other  variety  for  the 
main  crop.  Dwarf  varieties,  like  Dwarf  Champion 
and  Dwarf  Stone  are  very  desirable  in  gardens 
of  limited  space,  as  they  may  be  planted  in  close 
rows  or  can  be  supported  to  a  single  small  stake. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     TOMATOES 

The  simplest  and  most  popular  way  of  serving 
tomatoes  is  raw,  and  there  are  one  or  two  points 
which  make  for  perfection  in  the  process.  In  scald- 
ing the  fruit  for  the  removal  of  the  skin,  moderate- 
ly hot  water  should  be  avoided,  as  it  is  necessary  to 
leave  the  fruit  in  it  so  long  that  the  tomato  be- 
comes warm.  Boiling  water,  which  will  instantly 
remove  or  loosen  the  skin,  should  be  used,  and  the 
fruit  removed  as  quickly  as  possible.  I  have  seen 

[136] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 


cooks  place  a  number  of  tomatoes  in  a  pan,  pour 
hot  water  over  them,  and  proceed  to  peel  them  out 
of  the  water,  leaving  the  .unpeeled  ones  soaking 
and  warming  until  the  last  was  reached.  Tomatoes 
served  raw  should  be  brought  to  the  table  as  firm 
and  cold  as  possible.  They  should  never  be  dressed 
before  serving,  but  the  various  condiments  passed 
that  each  person  may  season  them  to  please  their 
fancy. 

STEWED    TOMATOES 

Peel  and  remove  the  seeds  from  fresh,  ripe  toma- 
toes (as  many  as  required),  cut  into  small  pieces, 
and  season  with  salt,  pepper,  and  a  piece  of  butter ; 
stew  until  done,  and,  before  taking  from  the  fire, 
add  bread  crumbs  sufficient  to  thicken  slightly,  add 
a  dash  of  cayenne,  and  let  boil  up  once.  Serve  hot. 

STEWED    TOMATOES    WITH    ONIONS 

Peel  and  slice  three  or  four  onions  and  place  in 
the  frying  pan  with  a  little  butter  or  good  drip- 
ping; cover  and  cook  until  tender;  have  ready  some 
peeled  and  sliced  tomatoes,  add  to  the  onions,  and 
cook  until  done;  season  with  butter,  pepper,  and 
salt. 

[137] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


STUFFED    TOMATOES 

Scald  and  peel  as  many  tomatoes  as  required; 
cut  a  small  piece  from  the  top  of  each  and  remove 
the  seeds;  fill  the  cavity  thus  formed  with  well- 
seasoned  bread  crumbs;  place  a  small  piece  of  but- 
ter on  the  top  of  each  and  bake  until  brown.  A 
little  water  should  be  placed  in  the  pan  to  prevent 
the  tomatoes  burning  or  sticking  to  the  dish. 

SCALLOPED    TOMATOES 

Peel  and  slice  ripe  tomatoes;  place  a  layer  in  a 
baking-dish  and  cover  with  bread  or  cracker 
crumbs,  a  dash  of  pepper  and  salt,  and  bits  of 
butter;  add  another  layer  of  tomatoes  and  bread 
crumbs  and  continue  with  alternate  layers  of  to- 
matoes, crumbs,  and  seasoning  until  the  dish  is 
full,  the  last  layer  being  of  the  crumbs,  with  a 
liberal  sprinkling  of  butter.  Bake  one  hour. 

MACARONI    WITH    TOMATOES 

Break  one  half  pound  of  macaroni  into  short 
pieces  and  boil  in  salted  water  until  tender;  take 
from  the  water  and  blanch  by  turning  cold  water 

over  it;  return  to  the  stew-pan  and  add  one  half 

[138] 


THE    GROWING    OF    VARIOUS    VEGETABLES 

ipful  of  sweet  cream,  one  third  of  a  cupful  of  but- 
,  pepper,  and  salt;  let  simmer  for  a  short  time; 
have  ready  in  another  stew-pan  one  pint  of  stewed 
tomatoes;  add  the  macaroni  and  serve  hot  in  a  cov- 
ered dish. 

TOMATO  SOUP 

Place  over  the  fire  a  quart  of  peeled  tomatoes, 
add  a  pinch  of  soda,  and  stew  them  soft.  Strain  to 
remove  the  seeds.  Set  it  over  the  fire  again  and  add 
a  quart  of  hot,  boiled  milk,  or  a  pint  of  cream  and 
one  of  milk;  season  with  salt  and  pepper,  a  piece 
of  butter  the  size  of  an  egg,  and  three  tablespoon- 
fuls  of  rolled  crackers,  and  serve  hot.  Canned  to- 
matoes may  be  used  instead  of  fresh  ones. 

FRIED    GREEN    TOMATOES 

These  may  be  prepared  in  a  number  of  ways:  by 
slicing  and  laying  in  salt  and  water  until  some  of 
the  water  is  drawn  from  them  and  then  dipping  in 
flour  and  frying  in  hot  drippings  until  tender;  by 
covering  with  boiling  water  and  set  on  the  back 
of  the  range,  where  they  will  keep  hot,  but  not 
boil,  until  yellow,  then  drained,  dipped  in  flour,  and 
fried.  They  are  also  excellent  fried  with  onions, 

f  139  ] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


but  as  the  onions  take  much  longer  to  cook  than  the 
tomatoes,  they  should  be  put  on  the  fire  in  advance 
of  the  tomatoes  until  partially  cooked,  when  the 
sliced  tomatoes  should  be  added,  and  both  cooked 
until  a  delicate  brown.  Tomatoes  are  almost  equal 
to  egg-plant  when  nicely  cooked,  and  should  be 
more  generally  used,  as  green  tomatoes  are  one 
of  the  most  plentiful  vegetables  in  the  market. 


[140] 


CHAPTER    TEN 
ROOT    VEGETABLES 


IXOOT  vegetables  form  an  important  part  of  the 
garden's  supply,  and  differ  somewhat  from  those 
vegetables  which  produce  heads,  pods,  or  edible 
foliage  in  that  they,  as  a  general  thing,  mature 
later,  some  of  the  varieties,  like  parsnips  and  sal- 
sify, remaining  in  the  earth  until  the  following 
spring,  when  they  are  at  their  best.  Others,  like 
the  beet  and  radish,  are  among  the  earliest  available 
vegetables  for  the  table — radishes  being  ready  to 
use  in  from  three  to  four  weeks  after  sowing  and 
beets  for  greens  in  a  little  longer  time.  The  prepa- 
ration of  the  ground  for  root  crops  should  be  deep 
and  thorough,  and  ploughing  is  preferable  to  spad- 
ing. All  weed  roots  which  are  not  thoroughly 
buried  by  the  plough  and  show  above  ground  after 
dragging  should  be  pulled  out  by  hand  and  con- 
signed to  the  compost  heap.  The  ground  should 

be  disc-harrowed,  dragged,  and  raked  to  as  fine  a 

[141] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


condition  as  possible.  I  like  to  have  the  ground  lie  a 
few  days  after  being  prepared  before  planting, 
in  order  that  it  may  settle  somewhat,  and  if  a  rain 
follows  the  preparation,  all  the  better.  Land  moist 
from  rain  will  not  need  to  be  tramped  down  over 
the  seed,  as  will  be  absolutely  necessary  in  the  case 
of  dry  soil. 

As  a  general  thing,  root  crops  should  not  succeed 
each  other,  but  be  rotated  with  vine  or  leaf  crops. 
Root  crops  leave  nothing  in  the  soil  and  take 
largely  from  it.  Vines  and  other  forms  of  vege- 
tables leave  a  large  proportion  of  the  growth  to  be 
returned  to  the  soil,  and  are,  for  this  reason,  less 
exhaustive  of  fertility.  Of  course  this  is  not  of  as 
much  moment  on  the  limited  area  of  the  kitchen 
garden,  whose  fertility  is  easily  maintained  by  the 
application  of  animal  fertilisers  and  the  humus 
from  a  compost  heap,  which  the  debris  of  a  town 
lot  will  maintain,  but,  in  acreage  planting,  it  is  of 
great  importance. 

BEETS 

Sow  beet  seeds  as  early  in  the  spring  as  the  ground 
may  be  worked  up  fine  and  mellow.  Light,  well- 
enriched  soil  suits  them  best.  The  seed  should  be 

[142] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 

sown  in  drills,  one  foot  apart,  sowing  the  seed  an 
inch  deep  and  treading  down  the  rows.  When  the 
plants  are  large  enough,  thin  out  to  stand  four  to 
six  inches  apart  in  the  rows;  keep  them  free  from 
weeds  and  the  soil  soft  and  mellow  by  frequent  cul- 
tivation. If  wanted  for  greens,  sowings  of  seed  may 
be  made  every  two  weeks  up  to  the  middle  of  Au- 
gust, or,  if  but  an  early  crop  of  greens  is  wished,  the 
ground  may  be  used  for  late  peas  when  the  beets 
are  out  of  the  way. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     BEETS 
BEET    GREENS 

For  this  delicious  dish  of  greens  the  young  beets 
are  used  from  a  half -inch  in  diameter  up  to  an  inch 
or  a  little  larger.  They  should  be  perfectly  fresh, 
and  in  dressing  them,  about  three  inches  of  the 
top  should  be  left  on.  Boil  in  salted  water  until 
tender,  and  dress  with  butter,  pepper  and  salt,  and 
serve  hot,  passing  the  vinegar  with  them. 

BAKED    BEETS 

Baked  beets  retain  their  sugary,  delicate  flavour 

if  they  are  baked  instead  of  boiled.  Turn  them  fre- 

[143] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


quently  while  in  the  oven,  using  a  knife  or  wooden 
spoon  as  the  puncture  made  by  a  fork  allows  the 
juice  to  run  out.  When  done,  remove  the  skin  and 
serve  with  butter,  salt,  and  pepper. 

BOILED    BEETS 

Select  small-sized,  smooth  roots.  They  should  be 
carefully  washed,  but  not  cut  before  boiling,  as  the 
juice  will  escape  and  the  sweetness  of  the  vegetable 
be  impaired,  leaving  it  hard  and  white.  Put  them 
into  boiling  water  and  boil  until  tender,  which  re- 
quires from  one  to  two  hours,  even  longer  in  win- 
ter. Do  not  probe  them,  but  press  with  the  finger 
to  ascertain  if  sufficiently  done.  When  done,  take 
them  up  and  place  in  a  pan  of  cold  water,  and  slip 
off  the  outside.  Cut  them  in  thin  slices  and  season 
with  salt,  pepper,  butter,  and,  if  preferred,  a  little 
sharp  vinegar,  or  pass  the  vinegar  with  them. 

STEWED    BEETS 

Boil  the  beets,  then  scrape  and  slice  them.  Put 
them  in  a  stew-pan,  with  a  piece  of  butter  rolled  in 
flour,  some  boiled  onion  and  parsley,  chopped  fine, 
and  a  little  vinegar,  salt,  and  pepper.  Set  the  pan 

on  the  fire  and  stew  for  half  an  hour. 

[144] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


The  vinegar  may  be  omitted  and  served  at  the 
table  if  preferred. 

CARROTS 

Are  one  of  the  economic  vegetables,  being  not  only 
exceedingly  wholesome  and  toothsome,  but,  like  the 
sweet  corn,  possess  the  advantage  of  being  edible 
in  root  and  top,  the  green  tops  being  much  relished 
by  cows  and  horses,  and  the  peelings  and  any  sur- 
plus roots  forming  a  most  valuable  addition  to  the 
winter  ration  of  horse  and  cow.  The  juice  of  the  yel- 
low carrot,  when  expressed  by  grating  the  raw  root 
and  pressing  the  juice  through  a  cloth,  makes  an 
excellent  and  harmless  colour  for  butter,  giving  it 
the  much-prized  golden  tint  of  early  grass  butter 
in  the  spring. 

A  good  story  is  told  of  a  mother  who  took  an 
anemic  daughter  to  a  famous  physician  noted  for 
his  bluffness  and  brevity.  A  brief  inspection,  a 
briefer  "  claret,"  and  a  wave  of  the  hand  dis- 
missed patient  and  subject.  A  month  or  six  weeks 
later  the  mother  returned  accompanied  by  a  bloom- 
ing daughter,  and  at  the  physician's  nod  of  ap- 
proval, the  mother,  becoming  loquacious,  explained 

that  she  "  gave  them  to  her  three  times  a  day  cooked 

[145] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


and  raw."  "Raw!"  exclaimed  the  physician  in 
amazement.  When  it  transpired  that  his  brief  di- 
rections of  claret  had  been  understood  as  carrots, 
and  they  had  been  liberally  supplied  with  the  re- 
sult of  perfect  recovery,  whether  through  the  me- 
dium of  faith  or  the  medicinal  qualities  of  the  vege- 
table, remained  a  matter  of  individual  experiment, 
but  it  is  an  item  in  favour  of  the  carrots  that  they 
are  of  no  uncertain  tonic  value  to  animals. 

To  grow  carrots  in  perfection  requires  a  rich, 
deep,  sandy  loam,  thoroughly  prepared  and  deeply 
cultivated.  For  an  early  crop,  the  seed  should  be 
sown  in  April  or  May  in  drills,  one  foot  to  fifteen 
inches  apart,  scattering  the  seeds  as  thinly  and 
evenly  in  the  rows  as  possible  and  tramping  them 
down.  For  a  late  crop,  the  seed  may  be  sown  as 
late  as  July  1st.  As  soon  as  the  plants  are  large 
enough,  they  should  be  thinned  to  stand  four 
inches  apart  in  the  rows  and  must  be  kept  clear  of 
weeds  and  well  cultivated.  A  little  nitrate  of  soda 
drilled  into  the  soil  along  the  rows  will  greatly 
hasten  the  growth,  or  the  nitrate  may  be  applied 
with  a  watering  pot  by  dissolving  it  in  water. 
Phosphate  worked  into  the  rows  before  sowing  the 
seed  is  a  help  to  rapid  growth  when  the  animal 

[146] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


fertiliser  is  limited,  but  is  not  necessary  in  well-fer- 
tilised land.  For  table  use,  the  varieties  known  as 
bunching  carrots,  of  which  the  yellow  Danvers  In- 
termediate is  the  best,  should  be  selected.  These  are 
a  very  smooth,  attractive  sort,  and,  if  well  culti- 
vated and  thinned  sufficiently,  will  grow  to  large 
size  and  prove  profitable  for  stock  as  well  as  for 
the  table,  as  even  when  large  they  are  never  coarse. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     CARROTS 

The  simplest  and  best-liked  method  of  cooking 
carrots  is  to  peel  or  scrape  till  perfectly  clean,  then 
cut  in  dice,  and  cook  until  tender  in  salted  water; 
remove  from  the  fire,  drain,  and  return  to  the  fire, 
adding  sufficient  sweet  cream  to  cover,  a  table- 
spoonful  of  butter,  and  salt  and  pepper  to  taste. 
Or,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  butter  rolled  in  flour, 
add  enough  cream  to  cover  and  allow  them  to  come 
to  a  boil,  and  serve  hot. 

Carrots  are  also  served  mashed  like  potatoes,  in 
which  case  they  are  cooked  whole  and  mashed  with 
a  piece  of  butter,  salt  and  pepper,  and  piled  in  a 
heap  on  a  platter  and  served  very  hot. 

A  delicious  substitute  for  plum  pudding  is  made 
[147] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


from  a  cupful  of  mashed  carrots,  one  cupful  of 
mashed  potatoes,  one  cupful  of  flour,  one  cupful  of 
suet  chopped  fine,  one  cupful  of  molasses,  one  cup- 
ful of  currants,  and  one  cupful  of  raisins.  Boil  in 
a  pudding-bag,  allowing  room  for  it  to  swell,  three 
hours,  and  serve  with  a  creamed  or  hard  sauce  as 
preferred. 

As  a  vegetable  ingredient  to  consomme  the 
carrot  is  invaluable,  and  it  forms  an  important  in- 
gredient in  beef -ragouts.  To  prepare  the  latter,  se- 
cure a  tender,  juicy-stewing  piece  of  beef  having 
some  fat  attached.  Cut  in  squares  two  or  three 
inches  in  diameter  and  place  in  the  skillet,  with  a 
little  butter  or  dripping,  and  fry  to  a  good  brown; 
remove  from  the  pan,  and  to  the  butter  add  a 
tablespoonf ul  of  flour ;  cook  a  few  moments  and  add 
two  cupfuls  of  warm  water,  several  medium  or  small 
onions  whole,  or  large  onions  sliced,  two  or  more 
carrots  sliced  crosswise,  and  sufficient  potatoes  for 
the  meal;  add  the  meat  and  cook  until  done,  and 
serve  very  hot  on  a  large  platter. 

If  the  meat  is  likely  to  take  longer  to  cook  than 
the  vegetables,  return  it  to  the  pan  or  kettle  and 
cook  until  partly  done,  when  the  vegetables  may 

be  added. 

[148] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 

If  the  amount  is  large  it  will  be  better,  after 
browning  the  meat  and  preparing  the  gravy,  to 
place  the  whole  in  an  iron  or  granite  pot  to  cook. 
When  this  is  done,  the  pot  should  be  made  hot 
before  adding  the  ragout.  This  is  a  delicious  and 
appetising  dish  for  those  who  like  a  boiled  dinner. 
The  addition  of  a  head  of  celery,  cut  into  inch 
lengths,  much  improves  the  flavour,  or  a  small 
quantity  of  celery  seed  may  be  substituted  for  the 
celery  when  the  latter  is  not  in  season. 

ONIONS 

The  most  practical  manner  of  growing  onions  in 
the  kitchen  garden  is  by  the  use  of  sets,  which  may 
be  set  out  early  in  spring  in  shallow  drills  twelve 
inches  apart  and  the  sets  four  inches  apart  in  the 
drills.  The  ground  must  be  deeply  dug  and  thor- 
oughly pulverised,  and  when  the  onions  are  up  so 
they  can  be  seen,  hand  weeding  through  the  rows 
will  be  necessary.  The  hand-cultivator  may  be  used 
to  keep  the  space  between  the  rows  free  from 
weeds. 

Care  must  be  taken  not  to  allow  the  mature 
onions  to  form  seed,  as  this  will  render  them  unfit 
for  food,  the  seed  stalk  forming  a  woody  centre 

[149] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


in  the  onion,  which  resists  all  efforts  to  cook  ten- 
der. By  watching  the  plants  and  breaking  off  all 
blossom  stalks  as  they  form,  the  onions  will  remain 
fit  for  use  when  stored  for  the  winter. 

There  are  no  onions,  however,  so  tender  and 
delicate  for  table  use  as  those  grown  from  seed, 
which  may  be  sown  in  the  open  ground  early  in 
March  or  April  and  thinned  out  to  stand  three  or 
four  inches  apart  in  the  rows.  Or  they  may  at  first 
be  thinned  to  stand  from  one  to  two  inches  apart, 
and  as  soon  as  large  enough  for  the  table,  use  as 
young,  green  onions ;  every  other  onion  may  be  re- 
moved, allowing  the  remainder  to  mature  for  win- 
ter use. 

A  method  of  culture  we  have  found  very  satis- 
factory is  to  sow  seed  in  drills  in  August  in  very 
finely  prepared  ground,  which  must  be  kept  well 
cultivated  and  free  of  weeds.  A  mulch  of  straw 
or  other  coarse  litter  as  protection  during  winter 
should  be  given  after  the  setting  in  of  cold  weather, 
and  this  should  be  removed  in  spring.  Seed  sown 
at  that  season  gives  an  abundance  of  early  onions 
of  the  tenderest  and  best  quality,  and  the  entire 
crop  may  be  gathered  in  time  for  another  sowing 

of  seed  in  the  following  August.  Onions  succeed 

[150] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


well  when  grown  year  after  year  on  the  same 
ground,  and  when  the  bed  is  well  cared  for  one  or 
two  years,  it  gets  in  excellent  tilth  and  is  easily 
kept  free  from  weeds. 

By  sowing  onion  seed  in  frames  and  transplant- 
ing in  April,  onions  of  immense  size  may  be  pro- 
duced, and  the  labour  is  not  much  greater  than 
that  required  by  planting  in  the  open  ground,  thin- 
ning, and  giving  the  necessary  preliminary  weed- 
ing. In  setting  the  young  onions,  which  are  very 
small  and  tender,  a  shallow  trench  is  dug  and  the 
plants  laid  against  the  side  of  it  at  intervals  of  four 
inches,  the  earth  being  then  filled  in  and  pressed 
down  against  them  with  the  hoe.  For  this  form  of 
onion  culture,  the  Prizetaker  type  of  onion  is  the 
best.  This  onion  compares  very  favourably  with  the 
Bermuda  onion,  being  of  a  pale  yellow  colour,  white 
flesh,  mild  flavour,  and  immense  size. 

For  general  family  use  there  is  no  onion  to  com- 
pare with  the  White  Portugal  or  Silver  Skin, 
while  for  pickling,  the  white  Barletta  is  an  exceed- 
ingly satisfactory  sort.  One  ounce  of  seed  will  plant 
one  hundred  feet  of  drill. 


[151] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     ONIONS 

May  seem  superfluous  to  the  experienced  cook, 
but  there  are  occasional  points  which  may  be  new 
even  to  an  old  and  experienced  housekeeper;  it 
may  not  be  generally  known,  for  instance,  that 
cooking  fried  onions  in  milk  before  frying  them 
renders  them  far  more  appetising  and  delicate. 
This  is  an  operation  that  must  be  undertaken  with 
a  light  hand  and  quick  eye,  as  onions  cooked  in 
milk  burn  very  easily. 

In  preparing  onions  for  this  manner  of  frying, 
they  are  first  peeled  and  sliced  as  in  ordinary  fry- 
ing and  then  placed  in  the  saute-pan  with  enough 
water  to  cover,  and  cooked  for  a  few  moments, 
when  the  water  should  be  turned  off  and  replaced 
with  an  equal  amount  of  milk  and  allowed  to  cook 
till  tender,  when  they  are  drained  from  the  milk 
and  fried  a  delicate  brown  in  hot  butter. 

STUFFED    SPANISH    ONIONS 

These  are  a  delicate  and  tasty  form  of  serving  this 
odourous  vegetable.  To  prepare,  use  the  large  Ber- 
muda or  Prizetaker  onions.  Peel  the  onions  and 

scoop  out  from  the  top  a  portion  of  the  centre. 

[152] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


Parboil  five  minutes  and  turn  upside  down  to  drain. 
Make  a  stuffing  of  the  chopped  onion  taken  from 
the  centres,  softened  bread  crumbs,  salt,  pepper, 
and  a  generous  amount  of  butter.  Fill  the  onions 
heaping  full  and  sprinkle  the  top  with  buttered 
crumbs.  Cover  and  cook  till  tender  (about  an 
hour)  in  a  pan  containing  a  small  quantity  of 
water.  Let  them  brown  a  very  little  before  taking 
from  the  oven. 

PARSNIPS 

Which  so  welcomely  supplement  the  late  winter  or 
early  spring  bill  of  fare,  are  one  of  the  easily  raised 
root  vegetables,  requiring  little  room  for  culture 
and  yielding  bountifully  for  the  space  and  time 
devoted  to  them.  Like  the  carrot,  they  are  an  orna- 
mental feature  of  the  garden  and  may  be  grown  to 
edge  rows  or  beds  of  other  vegetables  if  desired; 
they  should  occupy  a  prominent  position  in  the 
garden,  as  their  growth  is  lower  than  most  other 
garden  crops,  and  the  beauty  of  the  fern-like  leaves 
makes  them  attractive  at  all  times.  They  have  not 
the  bright  colour  of  the  parsnip,  being  much  darker 
in  foliage,  but  they  offset  that  vegetable  and  con- 
trast beautifully  with  the  red  foliage  of  the  beets. 

[153] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


They  are  one  of  the  earliest  vegetables  to  be 
started  in  spring,  and  so  are  out  of  the  way  before 
the  main  crops  must  be  gotten  into  the  ground, 
which  is  a  distinct  advantage.  The  seed  should  be 
sown  in  drills,  like  the  carrot,  making  the  drills  a 
little  farther  apart — about  fifteen  inches — and 
dropping  the  seed  as  evenly  and  sparsely  in  the 
rows  as  possible.  The  seed  should  be  planted  about 
one-half  of  an  inch  deep  and  the  earth  pressed  down 
above  it.  The  soil  should  be  rich  and  deep  and  the 
after  cultivation  thorough  and  constant.  As  soon 
as  the  seed  has  germinated  and  the  little  plants 
large  enough  to  distinguish,  all  weeds  should  be 
removed  from  between  and  each  side  of  the  rows, 
the  cultivator  taking  care  of  those  between  the 
rows.  When  the  plants  are  three  or  four  inches 
high,  thin  out  to  stand  six  inches  apart  in  the  row. 
The  plants  pulled  up  may  be  used  to  plant  addi- 
tional rows  or  to  fill  in  any  vacant  places  in  the 
present  rows. 

While  the  quality  of  the  roots  are  much  im- 
proved by  leaving  in  the  ground  over  winter, 
enough  for  immediate  use  may  be  stored  in  damp 
sand  or  earth  in  the  cellar,  or  they  may  be  dug  and 

piled  in  pits  in  the  ground  and  covered  with  a 

[154] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


mound  of  earth  and  boards  to  shed  rain,  but  the 
cellar  will  be  found  more  convenient,  as  in  case  of 
severe  weather  it  will  be  found  almost  as  difficult 
to  get  into  the  heaps  as  to  dig  the  roots  from  the 
open  ground. 

The  best  variety  to  plant  is  the  Large  Sugar  or 
Hollow  Crown,  and  one  ounce  of  seed  will  plant 
one  hundred  feet  of  drill. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING    PARSNIPS 
BOILED    PARSNIPS 

Wash,  scrape,  and  split  them.  Put  them  in  a  pot 
of  boiling  water;  add  a  little  salt  and  boil  till  quite 
tender,  which  will  be  in  from  two  or  three  hours, 
according  to  their  size.  Dry  them  in  a  cloth  when 
done  and  pour  melted  butter  or  white  sauce  over 
them  in  the  dish.  Serve  them  with  any  sort  of 
boiled  meat  or  with  salt  codfish. 

Parsnips  are  very  good  baked  or  stewed  with 
meat. 

FRIED    PARSNIPS 

Boil  tender  in  salted  water ;  scrape,  cut  into  long 
slices,  dredge  with  flour;  fry  in  hot  lard  or  drip- 
pings, or  in  butter  and  lard  mixed,  until  quite 

brown.  Drain  on  a  wire  sieve  and  serve. 

[155] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


STEWED    PARSNIPS 

After  washing  and  scraping  the  parsnips,  cut 
into  slices  about  half  an  inch  thick.  Put  them  in  a 
saucepan  of  boiling  water  containing  just  enough 
to  barely  cover  them;  add  a  tablespoonful  of  but- 
ter, pepper  and  salt,  and  cover  closely.  Cook  them 
until  the  water  has  cooked  away,  watching  care- 
fully and  stirring  often  to  prevent  burning,  until 
they  are  soft.  When  they  are  done,  they  will  be  of 
a  creamy,  light  straw-colour  and  deliciously  sweet, 
retaining  all  the  goodness  of  the  vegetable. 

PARSNIP    FRITTERS 

Boil  four  or  five  parsnips;  when  tender,  take  off 
the  skins  and  mash  them  fine;  add  to  them  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  wheat  flour  and  a  beaten  egg;  put  a 
tablespoonful  of  lard  or  beef  drippings  in  a  frying- 
pan  over  the  fire,  add  to  it  a  saltspoonful  of  salt. 
When  boiling  hot,  put  in  the  parsnips  which  have 
been  moulded  into  small  cakes  with  a  spoon;  when 
one  side  is  a  delicate  brown,  turn  the  other;  when 
both  sides  are  done,  put  them  on  a  dish,  and  a  very 
little  of  the  fat  in  which  they  were  fried  poured 
over  them,  and  serve  hot.  These  resemble  very 

[156] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


closely  the  taste  of  the  salsify  or  vegetable  oyster, 
and  by  many  will  be  preferred. 

Or  the  parsnips,  flour,  and  egg  may  be  shaped 
in  the  hands  into  small  cones  and  fried  to  a  deli- 
cate brown  in  hot  fat.  Dipping  first  in  beaten  egg 
and  then  in  fine  bread  crumbs  will  make  a  more 
elaborate  and  attractive  dish. 

POTATOES 

There  is  probably  no  crop  grown  that  the  hus- 
bandman approaches  with  so  little  hesitation  as  the 
potato.  But  that  this  confidence  is  often  misplaced 
is  evidenced  by  the  mass  of  poor  and  even  unsightly 
potatoes  which  crowd  our  markets.  It  is  not  an  un- 
common practice  to  devote  the  refuse  of  the  po- 
tato bins  to  the  spring  planting;  yet  no  vegetable 
is  more  susceptible  of  improvement  by  judicious 
selection  of  seed  than  the  potato.  The  selection  of 
seed  potatoes  should  be  made,  not  the  last  thing 
before  planting,  but  at  the  time  of  the  gathering 
of  the  crop  in  the  fall,  providing,  of  course,  that 
one  wishes  to  grow  the  same  kind  of  potatoes  a 
second  year  and  that  the  quality  of  the  present 
crop  justifies  the  selection  of  potatoes  for  seed 
therefrom. 


OFTHE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


In  selecting  potatoes  from  seed,  the  choice 
should  be  from  those  hills  which  have  produced 
best,  both  as  to  size  of  tubers  and  the  number  of 
tubers  in  a  hill  rather  than  from  the  finest  potatoes, 
both  as  to  size  and  symmetry.  In  the  former  selec- 
tion you  get  pedigree  and  precedent  and  may  an- 
ticipate a  perpetuation  of  the  good  qualities  in  the 
succeeding  year's  crop.  All  scabby  or  misshapen 
tubers  should  be  rejected,  nor  should  seed  be  used 
from  a  crop  that  has  given  scabby  tubers,  though 
the  tubers  selected  may  be  free  from  this  defect. 
Where  scabby  tubers  exist,  the  cause  should  be  dis- 
tinctly recognised,  whether  the  fault  is  in  the  seed, 
in  the  soil,  or  in  the  presence  of  too  green  manure. 
Potatoes  should  not  be  planted  on  land  newly  fer- 
tilised with  fresh  manure.  Where  the  land  has  had 
many  successive  croppings  and  must  be  manured 
heavily  in  order  to  restore  sufficient  fertility  for 
the  production  of  a  crop,  the  fertilising  should  be 
done  the  preceding  autumn,  or,  if  that  is  impos- 
sible, as  early  in  the  spring  as  possible — February 
being  far  better  than  March.  Preferably  the  manur- 
ing should  precede  fall  ploughing.  Sod  land  is  best 
for  the  growing  of  potatoes,  and  if  this  has  been 

manured  the  previous  fall,  it  should  be  in  good  con- 

[158] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 

dition  for  growing  a  good  crop  of  smooth  potatoes. 
Do  not  plant  potatoes  on  land  which  produced 
scabby  the  previous  year. 

Early  potatoes  may  be  planted  as  soon  as  the 
ground  can  be  put  in  condition  in  the  spring,  but 
for  the  main  or  winter  crop,  late  planting  is  usu- 
ally more  satisfactory.  For  one  thing,  these  later-- 
planted potatoes  are  less  troubled  with  the  potato 
beetle  and  fewer  cultivations  are  required  to  keep 
down  the  weeds.  No  one  should  undertake  the 
growing  of  potatoes  unless  they  have  sufficient 
energy  to  keep  down  the  weeds,  as  they  require 
little  hand  work,  and  one  or  two  hoeings  will 
fit  them  for  work  with  horse  or  hand-cultivator. 
Potatoes  should  never  be  banked  or  hilled  up 
at  the  beginning  of  the  season;  when  this  is 
done  at  the  start,  it  is  practicably  impossible  to 
keep  control  of  the  weeds.  It  is  better  to  cultivate 
on  the  level,  either  planting  far  enough  apart  in 
the  rows  to  allow  of  running  the  cultivator  each 
way,  or  they  may  be  planted  in  rows  three  feet 
apart  and  a  foot  apart  in  the  rows,  and  covering 
from  three  to  four  inches  deep  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  soil;  three  inches  if  the  soil  is  heavy 

and  cold,  but  four  inches  in  light,  sandy  soil. 

[159] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Phosphates  are  very  valuable  fertilisers  for  po- 
tatoes and  produce  very  much  smoother  tubers 
than  where  it  is  not  applied.  The  most  economical 
method  of  using  is  to  scatter  a  tablespoonful  in 
each  hill,  distributing  it  over  a  foot  or  two  of  sur- 
face. Flower  of  sulphur  in  the  hills  will  entirely 
prevent  the  presence  of  scab  in  the  potatoes  and  is 
a  more  satisfactory  method  than  the  previous  treat- 
ment of  the  seed  by  corrosive  sublimate,  formalde- 
hyde, or  other  poisons. 

In  the  case  of  the  potato  beetle  and  its  ravages, 
one  should  use  the  ounce  of  prevention  and  watch 
for  the  first  appearance  of  the  mature  beetle  and 
its  eggs.  Where  there  is  but  a  small  planting  of 
potatoes,  it  will  be  practicable  to  handpick  the  vine, 
killing  all  bugs  and  removing  all  eggs,  which  will 
be  found,  a  yellow  mass,  on  the  underside  of  the 
leaves.  If  these  are  entirely  removed  at  their  first 
appearance,  little  further  trouble  will  be  experi- 
enced, unless  a  careless  neighbour  also  grows  po- 
tatoes, in  which  case  one's  best  efforts  may  prove 
abortive. 

Once  the  beetles  have  gained  a  footing,  the  only 
remedy  is  Paris  green,  either  as  a  dust,  mixed  with 

plaster  in  the  proportion  of  a  teaspoonful  of  the 

[160] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


poison  to  a  quart  of  lime,  sifted  from  a  sifting-box 
with  quite  small  holes,  over  the  plants  when  wet 
with  dew  or  rain,  or  with  a  solution  of  the  poison — 
about  a  teaspoonful  to  three  gallons  of  water. 
This  may  be  used  by  means  of  a  brush-broom 
dipped  in  the  solution  and  shaken  over  the  plants 
or  by  means  of  a  spraying  pump ;  in  the  latter  case 
a  much  stronger  solution  may  be  used,  as  the  spray 
is  so  fine  a  very  small  quantity  of  liquid  is  de- 
posited. Should  rain  follow  the  spraying,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  repeat  as  soon  as  the  weather  clears. 

Potatoes  should  be  dug  as  soon  as  the  tubers  are 
ripe  and  the  tops  dead.  Left  in  the  ground,  espe- 
cially in  wet  weather,  they  are  liable  to  start  new 
growth,  which  injures  them.  Late  potatoes,  how- 
ever, may  be  left  longer,  but  must  be  dug  before 
the  ground  freezes.  A  bright  day  is  best  for  dig- 
ging the  tubers,  and  if  possible  the  ground  should 
be  dry  in  order  that  the  earth  may  not  adhere  to 
the  tubers  and  so  that  they  may  be  picked  up  and 
stored  as  soon  as  possible  after  digging.  Potatoes 
should  not  be  allowed  to  lie  uncovered,  as  this 
turns  them  green,  but  should  be  covered  with  any- 
thing available — old  carpets,  sacking,  straw,  or 
fodder — anything  which  will  exclude  light. 

[161] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


There  are  many  excellent  varieties  of  potatoes, 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  there  is  as  great 
a  difference  in  the  flavour  of  potatoes  as  any  other 
vegetable,  and  what  may  be  entirely  acceptable 
and  palatable  to  one  may  prove  very  unsatisfactory 
to  another,  but  it  is  universally  agreed  that  a  mealy, 
white-fleshed  potato  is  the  ideal  one.  A  potato  free 
from  black  spots  and  hollows,  and  one  which  will 
keep  well  into  the  following  spring,  is  also  desirable. 
For  these  last  qualities  there  is  probably  no  better 
potato  grown  than  the  Adirondack,  it  keeping  well 
until  the  middle  of  June  and  cooking  mealy  and  white 
up  to  planting  time.  It  is  exceptionally  free  from 
spot  or  blemish,  but,  unfortunately,  is  sadly  lack- 
ing in  flavour,  being  especially  unsatisfactory  when 
fried.  It  is  a  profitable  potato  to  grow  for  market, 
however,  as  its  excellent  keeping  quality  makes  it  a 
favourite  of  the  dealers.  Vick's  Perfection  and  Car- 
men No.  2  have  given  excellent  satisfaction  in  my 
garden,  the  flesh  being  white,  mealy,  and  of  most 
excellent  flavour.  Early  Rose  and  Early  Ohio  are 
both  excellent  potatoes  for  the  market  or  home 
garden,  and  there  are  many  other  good  varieties, 
each  locality  having  its  favourite.  When  in  doubt 

as  to  which  variety  to  plant,  it  will  be  well  to  pro- 

[162] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


cure  a  peck  of  two  or  more  kinds  and  test  them  by 
cooking  in  several  different  ways. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     POTATOES 

It  may  seem  superfluous  to  give  recipes  for  cooking 
so  staple  an  article  of  food  as  the  potato ;  yet  it  must 
be  conceded  that  their  appetising  and  tasteful 
preparation  is  by  no  means  universal.  Even  a  good 
boiled  potato — its  simplest  form — is  rare,  and  fried 
potatoes,  at  their  best,  are  conspicuous  by  their  ab- 
sence. It  may  not  be  a  matter  of  general  informa- 
tion that  in  the  spring,  when  the  quality  of  pota- 
toes has  deteriorated,  they  are  liable  to  show  dark 
spots  at  the  eyes  when  boiled.  This  may  be  pre- 
vented by  the  addition  of  a  cupful  of  milk  to  the 
water  in  which  they  are  boiled. 

THE  PERFECT  FRIED  POTATO 

The  frying  and  serving  of  potatoes  is  quite  as 
particular  an  operation  as  serving  baked  potatoes, 
which  all  know  must  be  eaten  the  moment  they  are 
done.  Fried  potatoes  should  never  go  on  the  fire 
until  within  a  few  moments  of  the  time  of  serving 
a  meal.  Never  set  them  on  the  back  of  the  range 

until  time  to  cook  them,  letting  them  slowly  dry 

[163] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


up  until  the  outsides  are  hard  and  tough.  Rather 
should  they  be  cut  in  dice  or  sliced  as  preferred, 
and  the  frying-pan  placed  on  the  stove  until  hot, 
when  sufficient  butter  or  drippings  for  frying,  to- 
gether with  salt  and  pepper  to  taste,  should  be  put 
in  and  allowed  to  get  hot,  when  the  potatoes  should 
be  added  and  cooked  a  good  brown  as  quickly  as 
possible.  Cooked  in  this  way,  they  will  be  crisp,  but 
not  hard  and  tough,  and  should  be  served  imme- 
diately on  a  hot  dish. 

To  have  the  fried  potato  at  its  best,  one  should 
boil  medium-sized,  new  potatoes  and  remove  them 
from  the  water  as  soon  as  done,  allowing  the  steam 
to  pass  off,  so  that  they  may  be  dry  and  mealy, 
when  they  should  be  cut  in  dice  and  fried  at  once 
in  hot  butter  or  drippings.  They  should  not  be  al- 
lowed to  grow  cold  between  the  operation  of  boil- 
ing and  frying  and  should  be  served  at  once  on  hot 
dishes. 

POTATO    SOUFFLE 

This  makes  an  excellent  lunch  or  supper  dish 
and  is  suitable  for  company  teas.  To  two  cupfuls 
of  cold  mashed  potatoes  add  half  a  cupful  of  milk, 
a  pinch  of  salt,  a  tablespoonf  ul  of  butter,  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  flour,  and  two  eggs,  beaten  to  a  froth, 

[164] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


Mix  the  whole  until  thoroughly  light;  put  into  a 
baking-dish,  spread  a  little  butter  over  the  top,  and 
bake  a  golden  brown.  The  quality  depends  upon 
very  thoroughly  beating  the  eggs,  so  that  the  po- 
tato will  remain  light,  like  sponge  cake. 

POTATO    PUFFS 

Prepare  the  potatoes  as  for  souffle.  While  hot, 
shape  in  balls  about  the  size  of  an  egg;  have  a  tin 
sheet  well  buttered  and  place  the  balls  on  it.  As 
soon  as  all  are  done,  brush  over  with  beaten  egg; 
brown  in  the  oven.  When  done,  slip  a  knife  under 
them  and  slide  upon  a  hot  platter.  Garnish  with 
parsley  and  serve  immediately. 

LYONNAISE    POTATOES 

Place  in  a  frying-pan  one  onion  sliced  fine  and 
a  tablespoonful  of  butter  and  a  tablespoonful  of 
finely  cut  parsley.  Cook  until  the  onion  is  tender. 
Remove  the  onion  and  add  the  potatoes,  which 
should  have  previously  been  prepared  by  cutting 
into  dice.  Cover  the  pan  and  allow  the  potatoes  to 
heat  through  but  not  cook  or  brown. 

Remove  the  lid  and  add  a  teacupful,  or  less,  of 

cream  and  allow  it  to  boil  up  but  not  cook,  and 

[165] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


serve  at  once  in  a  hot  baker  or  tureen.  The  secret 
of  success  with  creamed  potatoes  is  not  to  allow 
them  to  cook  in  the  cream. 

SCALLOPED    POTATOES 

Slice  raw  potatoes  and  lay  in  water  till  ready  to 
use.  Place  a  slice  of  salt  pork  in  the  bottom  of  a 
baking-dish.  Wipe  the  potatoes  dry  and  place  a  layer 
over  the  pork;  season  with  salt  and  pepper  and 
continue  to  add  potatoes  and  seasoning  in  alter- 
nate layers  until  the  dish  is  full.  Cover  the  top  with 
slices  of  very  thin  salt  pork  and  place  in  the  oven 
and  bake  until  the  potatoes  are  done.  Cold  boiled 
potatoes  may  be  substituted  if  desired,  and  require 
less  time  to  cook. 

SCALLOPED     POTATOES      (KENTUCKY     STYLE) 

Peel  and  slice  raw  potatoes  thin,  the  same  as  for 
frying.  Butter  an  earthen  dish,  put  in  a  layer  of 
potatoes  and  season  with  salt,  pepper,  butter,  and 
a  bit  of  onion,  chopped  fine  (if  liked) .  Sprinkle  over 
a  little  flour.  Now  put  another  layer  of  potatoes 
and  seasoning  and  continue  placing  alternate  lay- 
ers of  potatoes  and  seasoning  until  the  dish  is  full. 
Just  before  placing  in  the  oven  pour  over  from  a 

[166] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 

pint  to  a  quart  of  hot  milk  (according  to  the  quan- 
tity of  potatoes  used).  Bake  three-quarters  of  an 
hour.  Cold  boiled  potatoes  may  be  used  instead  of 
raw  if  preferred. 

FRENCH-FRIED    POTATOES 

Peel  and  slice  in  sections,  as  apples  are  cut  for 
pies,  laying  them  in  water  until  needed.  Heat  a 
small  shallow  kettle  of  lard  to  the  smoking  point, 
but  be  careful  that  it  does  not  scorch.  Dry  the  po- 
tatoes thoroughly  and  drop  in  the  hot  lard  until 
a  delicate  brown.  They  should  puff  up  very  light 
and  plump.  Remove  from  the  fire  and  drain  on 
brown  wrapping  paper  before  a  bright  fire.  Sprin- 
kle lightly  with  salt  and  if  that  flavour  is  preferred 
a  little  celery-salt  also  and  serve  at  once  on  a  hot 
dish.  These  are  delicious  and  entirely  suitable  for 
company  at  breakfasts,  lunches,  or  teas. 

POTATO    CROQUETS 

Take  two  cupfuls  of  cold  mashed  potatoes,  season 
with  a  pinch  of  salt,  pepper,  and  a  tablespoonful  of 
butter  (also  a  pinch  of  celery-salt,  if  liked).  Beat 
up  the  whites  of  two  eggs  and  work  all  together 

[167] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


thoroughly;  make  into  small  balls  about  the  size 
of  walnuts;  dip  in  the  beaten  yolks  of  eggs  (which 
should  be  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper)  and  roll 
in  fine  cracker  or  bread  crumbs.  Fry  in  deep  fat 
until  a  delicate  brown  and  drain  on  a  wire  sieve  and 
serve  very  hot  on  a  folded  napkin  laid  on  a  hot 
dish. 

POTATO    FILLETS 

Pare  and  slice  the  potatoes  thin;  cut  them  in 
long  strips  or  fillets  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
square  and  as  long  as  the  potatoes  will  admit.  Keep 
them  in  cold  water  until  wanted,  then  wipe  dry 
and  drop  into  deep  lard  at  the  smoking  point,  and 
cook  until  a  fine,  delicate  brown.  Some  cooks  re- 
move them  from  the  fat  and  drain  when  partly 
done,  allowing  the  fat  to  heat  up  again  when  the 
potatoes  are  returned  to  the  fat  and  fried  until 
done,  but  if  the  potatoes  are  wiped  dry  and  the 
lard  at  the  proper  temperature  and  a  hot  fire  under 
the  kettle,  this  is  seldom  necessary.  Drain  before  a 
hot  fire  on  a  wire  sieve  or  brown  wrapping  paper, 
sprinkle  with  salt,  and,  if  liked,  a  very  little  dust 
of  celery-salt,  and  serve  on  a  hot  dish. 

Saratoga,  string,  and  similar  potatoes  are  pre- 
pared in  the  same  way,  the  only  difference  being 

[168] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


in  the  manner  of  cutting  and  the  fact  that  Sara- 
toga and  similar  thin  potatoes  are  equally  good 
cold  and  may  be  prepared  in  quantities  and  kept 
in  a  dry  place  to  be  used  as  needed.  If  wished  warm, 
a  few  moments  in  a  hot  oven  will  render  them  very 

palatable. 

RADISHES 

Require  a  light,  rich  soil  in  a  warm  position,  where 
quick  growth  may  be  made,  as  upon  this  depends 
the  tender  crispness  which  makes  this  vegetable  so 
toothsome.  Pure  sand,  well  enriched  with  phos- 
phates, will  grow  exceedingly  fine  radishes,  and 
after  the  plants  are  up  a  little,  nitrate  of  soda,  ap- 
plied along  the  rows,  will  much  hasten  their  growth. 
Nitrate  is  of  so  quick  action  that  it  should  not  be 
applied  until  the  plants  are  up  and  growing;  then 
it  is  a  most  valuable  fertiliser  and  stimulant. 

For  very  early  use,  the  seed  may  be  sown  in  hot- 
beds or  in  window  frames  and  a  second  crop  sown 
in  the  open  ground,  in  a  sunny,  sheltered  position, 
in  April. 

The  seed  may  be  sown  at  intervals  of  two  or 
three  weeks  up  to  the  first  of  September.  Sow  in 
thoroughly  prepared  ground  in  shallow  drills  ten 
inches  apart  and  thin  to  stand  two  inches  apart  in 

[169] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


the  rows.  Where  vines  are  planted  along  the  fence, 
the  intervening  space  may  be  planted  to  radishes, 
and  I  have  found  it  a  good  plan  to  keep  a  packet  of 
seed  handy,  and  drop  a  seed  wherever  a  radish  is 
pulled;  in  this  way  there  is  a  perpetual  supply  of 
the  freshest  and  most  tender  of  roots. 

The  ground  should  be  kept  free  of  weeds  and 
well  cultivated.  It  will  be  necessary  to  use  the 
trowel  here  to  break  up  the  soil  about  the  radishes, 
using  the  small  hand-cultivator  along  the  sides  of 
the  rows,  or  when  grown  along  the  fence,  all  the 
work  may  be  easily  done  by  means  of  the  trowel. 
The  early  three  weeks'  radishes — such  as  French 
Breakfast — are  the  most  desirable  to  plant,  and  the 
oval  scarlet,  tipped  with  white,  the  most  attractive 
form  on  the  table.  In  preparing  them  for  the  table, 
the  small  leaves  should  be  retained,  as  they  add 
much  to  the  appearance  of  the  radish  and  are  an 
altogether  attractive  and  artistic  addition  to  the 
breakfast  or  luncheon  table. 

In  planting  melons  in  hills,  if  the  land  is  very 
rich,  a  row  of  radishes  may  be  planted  around  the 
outer  edge  of  the  hills,  and  will  have  matured  and 
been  used  before  the  room  is  needed  by  the  melons ; 

in  fact  radishes  are  one  of  the  few  vegetables  which 

[170] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


may  be  stuck  in  wherever  the  soil  is  rich  and  the 
space  is  not  needed  for  other  crops. 

SALSIFY   OR  VEGETABLE   OYSTER 

Salsify  requires  the  same  culture  as  carrots  and 
parsnips.  Sow  early  in  spring  in  drills  fifteen 
inches  apart,  scattering  the  seed  an  inch  deep  and 
treading  down  the  rows.  Thin  to  stand  four  to  six 
inches  apart  in  the  rows  and  keep  clear  of  weeds 
and  the  soil  well  worked  and  mellow.  Salsify  may 
be  used  in  the  fall  or  left  in  the  ground  over  win- 
ter, being  used  early  in  spring,  when  it  first  ap- 
pears in  market.  A  supply  for  the  winter  may  be 
dug  and  kept  in  boxes  of  moist  earth  or  sand  in 
the  cellar  if  desired.  When  left  in  the  ground,  it 
should  be  dug  before  growth  begins  in  the  spring. 
It  succeeds  best  in  a  light,  mellow  soil.  The  Mam- 
moth Sandwich  Island  is  the  best  variety  to  grow, 
Long  White  is  also  a  good  variety. 

DIRECTIONS     FOR     COOKING     SALSIFY 

The  most  common  method  of  cooking  salsify  is 
in  soup,  for  which  purpose  the  roots  are  washed, 
scraped,  and  cut  into  slices  a  quarter  of  an  inch 

[171] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


thick.  Put  to  cook  in  two  quarts  of  water.  When 
cooked  tender,  add  to  the  water  a  lump  of  butter 
the  size  of  an  egg,  salt  and  pepper  to  taste,  a  cup- 
ful of  rich  cream,  and  half  a  cupful  of  cracker 
crumbs ;  serve  hot.  The  quantity  of  water  and  num- 
ber of  salsify  roots  will  depend,  of  course,  on  the 
amount  of  soup  required,  and  the  amount  of  season- 
ing and  other  additions  will  be  decided  by  the  quan- 
tity of  soup.  In  cooking  salsify  in  any  manner,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  exposure  to  the  air  causes 
it  to  turn  very  dark,  so  that  the  roots  should  be  kept 
in  water  until  ready  to  cook. 

FRIED    SALSIFY 

Stew  the  salsify  as  usual  until  very  tender  and 
mash  it  very  fine.  Beat  up  an  egg  and  add  a  tea- 
cupful  of  milk,  a  little  flour,  butter,  and  seasoning 
of  pepper  and  salt.  Make  into  little  cakes  and  fry 
to  a  light  brown  color  in  boiling  lard,  first  rolling 
them  in  beaten  eggs  (which  are  lightly  seasoned) 
and  fine  bread  crumbs. 

TURNIPS 

Are  usually  grown  as  a  catch  crop  to  follow  after 

some  other  crop  which  has  failed  to  prosper  or  has 

[172] 


ROOT    VEGETABLES 


matured  and  been  gathered.  For  winter  use,  they 
need  not  be  sown  before  the  middle  of  July  or  the 
first  of  August.  Any  good  garden  soil  will  grow  the 
turnip,  as  it  is  not  particular  as  to  soil  or  location. 
For  garden  culture,  the  seed  should  be  sown  in 
shallow  drills  fifteen  inches  apart  and  the  plants 
thinned  to  stand  four  to  six  inches  apart  in  the  row. 
Keep  clean  from  weeds  and  the  earth  loose  and 
mellow. 

Take  up  the  roots  in  the  fall,  but  not  before 
some  frost,  as  they  will  be  sweeter  than  if  dug 
earlier.  They  may  be  grown  as  a  catch  crop  to  fol- 
low early  peas,  cabbage,  or  any  vegetable  that  is 
gotten  out  of  the  way  before  the  first  of  August. 
For  early  summer  use,  sow  the  seed  as  soon  as  the 
ground  can  be  worked  in  spring. 

DIRECTIONS    FOR     COOKING    TURNIPS 

Turnips  are  less  watery  if  cooked  whole,  select- 
ing medium-sized  tubers  and  cooking  in  salted 
water  until  tender,  when  they  should  be  taken  from 
the  water  with  a  skimmer  and  placed  in  the  oven  a 
few  moments  to  steam  dry,  then  mashed,  seasoned 
with  butter,  pepper  and  salt,  and  sent  to  the  table 
in  a  hot  dish. 

[173] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


TUENIP    CUPS    WITH    PEAS 

Steam  small  white  turnips  until  tender.  When 
done,  remove  from  the  fire  and  hollow  out  the  cen- 
tres, cutting  the  tops  in  scallops.  Fill  with  peas 
cooked  with  a  cream  dressing  made  of  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  butter  cooked  with  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  flour,  one  cupful  of  milk,  and  one  teaspoonful  of 
salt.  Or  if  cream  may  be  used,  one  spoonful  of  but- 
ter will  be  sufficient.  Serve  very  hot  on  a  platter 
garnished  with  parsley. 


[174] 


CHAPTER    ELEVEN 
VINE    VEGETABLES    AND    FRUITS 


1  HOUGH  limited  in  number,  the  fruits  or  vege- 
tables produced  by  plants  of  a  viny  nature  com- 
prise some  of  the  most  important  and  interesting  of 
the  garden's  productions.  The  culture  differs  some- 
what from  that  given  other  plants  and  is  limited  to 
a  shorter  period  of  active  operations.  All  vine 
growths  are  exceedingly  tender  when  young,  and 
for  this  reason  cannot  be  gotten  into  the  ground  un- 
til all  danger  of  frost  is  past  and  the  soil  is  warm. 
The  seeds  of  this  class  of  plants — especially  of 
melons  in  variety — are  very  sensitive  to  wet  or  cold 
and  prone  to  decay  if  conditions  are  not  quite  right. 
It  is  often,  for  this  reason,  necessary  to  repeat  the 
planting  twice  or  oftener  before  a  good  stand  of 
plants  is  obtained.  No  seed  should  go  into  the 
ground  at  the  North  before  the  twentieth  of  May, 
and  in  many  instances  the  first  of  June  will  give 

better  results.  Where  very  early  fruit  is  desired, 

[175] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


seed  may  be  started  in  the  house  or  hotbed  by  cut- 
ting sods  from  a  meadow  or  other  place  and  cutting 
them  in  squares  about  five  inches  in  diameter  and 
packing  them  closely  together  in  a  warm  hotbed. 
The  grass,  if  long,  should  be  sheared  away  and 
the  sods  set  grass-side  down.  On  each  of  these 
pieces  of  sod  five  or  six  seeds  of  melons  or  squash 
may  be  planted,  covered  with  two  inches  of  rich, 
fine  soil  or  manure,  and  when  the  seeds  have  ger- 
minated, all  but  three  of  the  best  may  be  removed. 
When  the  weather  is  favourable,  these  pieces  of 
sod  may  be  planted  out  in  the  open  ground  in  hills 
prepared  as  for  seed.  Great  care  must  be  taken  in 
handling  the  sods,  as  there  is  no  plant  grown  in  the 
garden  so  sensitive  to  disturbance  in  transplanting 
as  the  musk-melon.  Cucumbers  and  squash  are  less 
sensitive,  but  even  these  will  stand  little  disturb- 
ance and  handling.  Old  strawberry  baskets  are 
sometimes  used  for  this  purpose,  being  placed  in  the 
hotbed  close  together  and  filled  with  rich  soil  well 
pressed  into  them;  when  transplanted,  basket  and 
all  is  removed  to  the  field.  Do  not  set  them  in  the 
open  until  after  June  1st. 

A  warm,  sunny  situation  suits  all  vine  plants, 
and  a  light,  moist,  sandy  soil,  heavily  enriched  with 

[176] 


VINE  VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS 


well-decayed  manure,  is  necessary  for  their  success- 
ful culture. 

The  ground  should  be  very  thoroughly  pre- 
pared by  deep  ploughing  and  repeated  dragging 
and  raking.  The  seeds  should  be  planted  in  hills 
four  feet  apart  for  cucumbers  and  six  for  musk- 
melons,  while  eight  feet  apart  will  give  none  too 
much  room  for  squashes  and  water-melons.  Two  or 
three  spadefuls  of  manure  should  be  incorporated 
in  each  hill,  which  should  be  raised  a  little  above 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  object  in  planting 
in  these  raised  hills  is  that  water  may  not  settle 
about  the  plants  should  excessive  rainfall  follow 
the  planting.  In  dry  seasons  level  planting  would 
be  all  right,  but  seeds  planted  on  the  level  in  a  wet 
season  will  be  quite  certain  to  decay,  and  even 
plants  which  have  come  up  will  damp  off  under 
these  conditions.  Planting  on  elevated  hills  is  a 
measure  of  protection  which  may  be  supplemented 
by  covering  the  hills  with  a  frame  of  wood  or  a 
light  box  with  the  bottom  knocked  out  and  re- 
placed with  a  pane  of  glass;  given  this  protection, 
the  plants  will  come  through  a  wet  spell  fairly 
well.  In  the  small  home  garden  the  use  of  frames 

is  a  very  practical  and  satisfactory  measure,  as 

[177] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


after  the  plants  have  become  started  and  the 
weather  sufficiently  warm,  the  glass  may  be  re- 
placed with  a  screen  of  window  netting  and  the 
plants  protected  from  the  squash-bug  or  beetle, 
which  creates  such  havoc  in  the  melon  patch. 

These  frames,  if  removed  and  stored  in  a  dry 
place  as  soon  as  the  need  for  them  is  over,  will  last 
for  years.  They  should  not  be  left  on  the  hills  after 
the  vines  have  made  enough  growth  to  escape  from 
them,  and  in  the  early  stage  of  growth,  while  the 
glass  is  in  use,  it  should  be  removed  during  the 
hottest  part  of  the  day  and  netting  used  to  pre- 
vent burning,  and  to  allow  the  plants  the  advan- 
tage of  fresh  air. 

As  soon  as  the  plants  have  made  a  foot  or  less 
of  growth  the  ends  of  all  the  branches  should  be 
pinched  back.  This  encourages  the  plants  to  branch 
freely  and  will  also  result  in  the  first  blossoms 
formed  setting  fruit  which  will  ripen  much  in  ad- 
vance of  fruit  on  unpruned  vines.  It  is  claimed  by 
some  that  the  first  blossoms  set  on  the  vines  are 
sterile  and  would  bear  no  fruit,  but  this  is  not  my 
opinion,  nor  does  experience  justify  any  such 
theory,  as  I  invariably  find  that  when  the  vines  are 

pinched   back   they   produce   from  three   to   five 

[178] 


VINE  VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS 


melons  close  to  the  root,  which  are  always  several 
days  or  weeks  earlier  than  those  on  the  remainder 
of  the  vines.  I  note  this  of  the  melons  especially, 
squashes  giving  one  or  two  fruits  at  the  base  of  the 
plant. 

Where  ground  is  at  a  premium  and  one  only 
desires  to  grow  sufficient  fruit  for  the  private  table, 
very  satisfactory  results  may  be  obtained  by  grow- 
ing the  melons  and  cucumbers  on  netting.  The  hen 
park-fence  affords  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
this  form  of  culture,  and  I  find  that  the  hens  do 
not  disturb  the  vines  in  the  least. 

I  do  not  think  the  vines  produce  quite  so  freely 
as  on  the  ground,  but  the  fruit  matures  quite  as 
well,  and  the  labour  of  caring  for  and  gathering 
it  is  so  much  less  than  when  grown  on  the  ground, 
and  the  fruit  so  much  more  attractive  in  appear- 
ance, that  the  method  has  much  to  commend  it. 
Cucumbers  especially  do  well,  and  the  fresh,  bright 
appearance  is  in  marked  contrast  to  that  of  the 
ground-grown  fruit.  There  is  no  labour  connected 
with  the  growing  of  vegetables  so  trying  as  that 
of  gathering  pickles ;  the  difficulty  of  getting  about 
among  the  vines  and  the  stooping  position  nec- 
essary to  their  gathering  make  it  exceedingly 

[179] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


wearisome.  Where  they  are  grown  on  the  ground, 
it  will  be  well  to  curtail  the  growth  sufficiently  by 
frequent  pinchings  back  or  directing  the  running 
vines,  to  allow  room  to  pass  between  the  hills  with- 
out treading  on  the  vines,  which  seriously  injures 
them  and  stops  their  bearing. 

Cultivation  should  begin  about  the  hills  as  soon 

as  the  plants  are  above  ground,  and  earlier  if  the 

% 

soil  becomes  hard  or  caked.  Some  twelve  or  fifteen 
seeds  should  have  been  planted  in  each  hill.  This 
allows  for  those  which  decay  or  for  any  reason  fail 
to  start  and  furnish  food  for  the  bugs,  which  are 
quite  sure  to  appear  unless  the  plants  are  protected 
by  frames.  When  the  plants  have  gotten  their 
rough  leaves  and  the  bugs  have  left  them,  all  but 
three  plants  should  be  removed  and  these  encour- 
aged to  grow  by  the  application  of  a  little  nitrate 
of  soda  worked  into  the  hills  about  the  plants  in 
the  proportion  of  a  tablespoonful  to  a  hill.  Hen 
manure  is  also  an  excellent  dressing  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

If  the  trowel  or  light  hoe  is  used  about  the  plants 
in  the  hills  and  for  a  little  distance  out,  no  weeds 
will  gain  a  foothold  there,  and  the  hand-cultivator 

will  take  care  of  the  ground  between  the  hills.  Cul- 

[180] 


VINE    VEGETABLES    AND    FRUITS 


tivation  should  be  continued  as  long  as  there  is  room 
enough  between  the  hills  for  the  cultivator  to  pass 
and  should  be  followed  by  the  rake  to  produce  a 
clean  surface  and  a  dust  mulch.  When  the  cultiva- 
tor can  no  longer  be  used,  there  will  still  be  work 
for  the  narrow  rake  or  hoe,  and  this  should  be  used 
as  long  as  possible.  After  the  vines  cover  the  ground 
they  should  not  be  disturbed  further  until  the  fruit 
begins  to  ripen. 

In  very  dry  and  dusty  spells  of  weather  the 
vines  may  be  watered  with  advantage,  especially 
if  the  watering  may  be  done  with  a  hose,  so  as  to 
thoroughly  cleanse  the  vine,  and  liquid  manure 
may  occasionally  be  given  with  advantage. 

CUCUMBERS 

When  wanted  for  pickles  the  cucumbers  should  be 
gathered  as  soon  as  they  are  large  enough.  It  is  bet- 
ter not  to  gather  both  pickles  and  cucumbers  for 
the  table  from  the  same  vine,  as  the  maturing  of 
the  fruit  decreases  the  production  of  young  fruit. 
Often,  however,  there  will  be  enough  pickles  over- 
looked in  gathering  to  supply  an  average  family 
with  cucumbers  for  the  table.  It  is  always  best  to 
gather  the  tiny  pickles  first,  depending  for  large 

[181] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


pickles  for  use  in  making  mixed  pickles,  pickled 
lilly,  mangoes,  and  the  like  on  the  later  fruit,  as 
this  keeps  the  vines  in  better  bearing  condition. 
Any  fruit  which  has  grown  too  large  to  use  or  has 
begun  to  ripen  should  be  at  once  removed,  as  the 
production  of  seed  will  greatly  exhaust  the  vine, 
and  there  is  no  economy  in  saving  more  than  two 
or  three  for  seed. 

The  fruits  grown  on  vines  trained  on  wire  net- 
ting are  so  easily  gathered  and  so  easily  found  that 
the  picking  is  apt  to  be  much  cleaner  than  where 
the  vines  are  grown  on  the  ground. 

For  growing  on  netting,  the  best  variety  is 
the  Japanese  Climbing  cucumber.  This  is  a  fine, 
large  variety  of  a  rich  dark  green,  and  very  shapely. 
It  is  a  prolific  bearer,  and  I  find  the  flavour  supe- 
rior to  any  previously  grown  and  it  is  exceeding- 
ly crisp  and  firm.  It  is  equally  good  as  a  pickle 
or  table  variety,  and  if  I  were  restricted  to  one 
variety,  I  should  prefer  this.  As  it  is  I  usually 
grow  this  on  the  netting  and  some  good  pick- 
ling variety  on  the  ground.  For  a  good  all-around 
cucumber  the  white  spine  varieties  are  satisfactory, 
and  for  pickles,  the  Chicago  Pickling,  of  which 

Snow's  Fancy  Pickling  is  an  improved  sort,  is 

[182] 


VINE    VEGETABLES    AND    FRUITS 


very   popular  with   pickle   factories   and   market 
men. 

A    FEW    CUCUMBER    AND    PICKLE    RECIPES 

Pare  and  cut  cucumbers  into  small  cubes  till  you 
have  a  cupful;  add  one  teaspoonful  each  of  salt, 
minced  onion,  and  parsley;  one  tablespoonful  each 
of  tarragon  vinegar  and  lemon  juice.  Drain  on  col- 
ander or  wire  sieve  half  an  hour.  Put  on  ice.  Just 
before  serving  add  one  and  one-half  cups  of  stiffly 
whipped  cream. 

HALIBUT    IN    CUCUMBERS 

Cook  the  halibut  till  tender  in  court  bouillon — 
two  quarts  of  water — add  a  few  slices  each  of  car- 
rot, onion,  and  celery;  two  or  three  cloves  and  pep- 
percorns ;  a  bit  each  of  mace,  bay  leaf,  and  parsley, 
a  little  salt,  and  lemon  juice. 

Drain,  and  when  cool  remove  skin  and  bone  and 
pick  the  fish  apart  in  fine  flakes.  Make  a  rich  white 
sauce  in  the  regular  way,  adding  from  a  quarter 
to  a  half  teaspoonful  of  curry  powder  to  every  two 
cupfuls  of  sauce,  according  to  taste.  Pare,  cut  in 
halves,  and  parboil  in  bouillon  the  required  number 
of  cucumbers.  Scoop  out  the  inside  of  each  half, 

[183] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


fill  with  the  creamed  fish,  cover  with  prepared 
crumbs,  to  which  add  one-third  cupful  of  butter  to 
every  cupful  of  dried  bread  crumbs,  and  bake  about 
half  an  hour  or  less,  till  the  cucumbers  are  soft,  but 
not  till  they  lose  shape.  Serve  with  a  lemon  point 
on  each  plate. 

TO    SERVE    CUCUMBERS    RAW 

Place  them  in  ice-water  until  very  cold.  Peel  and 
slice  very  thin;  sprinkle  with  salt  and  place  in  an 
earthen  dish,  which  should  be  tilted  on  one  end  to 
allow  the  water  to  drain  away  from  the  fruit.  Place 
in  the  ice-box  until  ready  to  serve.  Drain  free  of 
moisture  and  serve  in  salad  bowl  with  a  dressing  of 
pepper  and  vinegar.  If  liked  young,  green  onions 
may  be  sliced  and  served  with  the  cucumbers.  Pre- 
pared thus,  they  are  perfectly  digestible,  and  may 
be  eaten  by  any  one. 

CUCUMBER    A    LA    CREME 

Peel  and  cut  into  slices  lengthwise  some  fine 
cucumbers.  Boil  them  until  soft;  salt  to  taste,  and 
serve  with  a  delicate  cream  sauce. 

[184] 


VINE    VEGETABLES    AND    FRUITS 


CUCUMBER   PICKLES 

Select  medium-sized  small  cucumbers.  For  one 
peck,  make  a  brine  which  will  bear  up  an  egg ;  heat 
it  boiling  hot  and  pour  it  over  the  cucumbers;  let 
them  stand  twenty- four  hours,  then  wipe  them  dry. 
Heat  some  vinegar  boiling  hot  and  let  stand  again 
twenty-four  hours.  Now  change  the  vinegar,  put- 
ting on  the  fresh  vinegar,  adding  to  it  one  gill  of 
brown  sugar,  one-half  gill  of  white  mustard-seed,  a 
teaspoonful  of  cloves,  and  the  same  of  cinnamon 
sticks,  a  piece  of  alum  the  size  of  a  hickory  nut,  and 
a  tablespoonful  of  celery-seed;  heat  it  all  boiling 
hot  and  pour  over  the  cucumbers.  Seal  up  in  quart 
cans. 

TO  PUT  DOWN   CUCUMBERS  A  FEW  AT  A  TIME 

When  gathered  from  the  vines  put  in  a  crock  or 
firkin  layers  of  cucumbers  and  rock  salt  alternate- 
ly, enough  salt  to  make  sufficient  brine  to  cover 
them ;  no  water ;  cover  with  a  cloth ;  keep  them  under 
the  brine  with  a  heavy  board;  take  off  the  cloth  and 
rinse  it  every  time  you  put  in  fresh  cucumbers,  as 
a  scum  will  rise  and  settle  upon  it.  Use  plenty  of 
salt  and  the  pickles  will  keep  a  year. 

[185] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


To  prepare  pickles  for  use,  soak  in  hot  water  and 
keep  in  a  warm  place  until  they  are  fresh  enough, 
then  pour  spiced  vinegar  over  them  and  let  them 
stand  over  night,  then  pour  that  off,  and  put  on 
fresh. 

SWEET   CUCUMBER   PICKLES 

Take  ripe  cucumbers,  pare  them,  and  cut  out  the 
seeds ;  cut  in  strips  or  fancy  shape  and  soak  in  weak 
brine  for  twenty- four  hours,  then  put  them  in  vine- 
gar and  water  and  soak  for  twenty-four  hours 
longer.  Then  put  them  in  sweetened  vinegar,  the 
same  as  for  any  sweet  pickle,  and  cook  until  ten- 
der. Take  to  a  quart  of  vinegar  three  pounds  of 
brown  sugar,  a  tablespoonful  of  ground  cinnamon 
and  a  few  cloves  tied  in  a  cloth,  and  boil  together 
and  turn  over  the  cucumbers. 

MUSK-MELONS 

Have  been  so  greatly  improved  in  the  past  few 
years  that  they  possess  a  quality  and  flavour  un- 
known a  few  years  ago.  To  those  who  like  a  green- 
fleshed  melon — and  they  are  the  sweetest,  finest- 
flavoured  melons  grown — the  Rocky  Ford  is  the 
melon  of  melons.  This  is  a  small  melon,  averaging 

[186] 


VINE    VEGETABLES    AND    FRUITS 

about  five  inches  in  length,  oval  in  shape,  beautiful- 
ly netted,  and  of  delicious  flavour.  It  is  eminently 
suited  to  growing  on  netting,  as  its  small  size  makes 
it  of  easy  support  and  the  "fruit  will  not  separate 
from  the  stem  until  ripe,  so  that  a  brief  inspection 
of  the  vines  will  determine  which  fruit  is  ready  to 
use  without  any  preliminary  handling. 

For  a  yellow-fleshed  melon  of  a  large,  showy 
kind  there  is  nothing  superior  to  the  Irondequoit. 
The  fruit  is  nearly  round,  finely  netted,  and  of 
a  handsome  yellow  colour.  It  is  a  melon  which  sells 
better  than  most  of  the  varieties  in  the  market,  and 
on  the  table  well  sustains  its  reputation  for  quality. 
I  grow  these  two  melons  exclusively  in  my  own 
garden,  experience  with  other  varieties  demon- 
strating the  truth  that  there  is  nothing  superior  in 
the  melon  line. 

Water-melons  are  not  worth  while  growing  here 
in  the  North.  Kleckley's  Sweet  and  Cole's  Early 
are  good  varieties  for  the  Northern  garden,  both 
being  of  good  size,  very  sweet,  and  good  bearers. 

WATER-MELON    OR    MUSK-MELON     PICKLES 

Cut  the  fruit  into  desired  size  and  put  in  a  stone 

jar  and  pour  over  it  enough  scalding  vinegar  to 

[187] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


cover.  Heat  the  vinegar  three  successive  days  and 
pour  over  fruit.  Then  weigh  the  fruit,  and  to  every 
five  pounds  add  three  pounds  of  white  sugar,  one 
quart  vinegar,  and  cloves,  cinnamon,  and  allspice  to 
suit.  Boil  all  together  until  fruit  is  tender.  Put  the 
fruit  in  jars,  boil  down  the  syrup  until  there  is  just 
enough  to  cover,  and  pour  over  scalding  hot. 

PICKLED    MANGOES 

Let  the  mangoes,  or  young  musk-melons,  lie  in 
salted  water  strong  enough  to  bear  an  egg  for  two 
weeks,  then  soak  them  in  pure  water  for  two  days, 
changing  the  water  two  or  three  times;  then  re- 
move the  seeds  and  put  the  mangoes  in  a  kettle, 
first  a  layer  of  mangoes  and  then  a  layer  of  grape 
leaves  and  then  mangoes,  and  so  on,  until  all  are 
in,  covering  the  mangoes  with  leaves.  Add  a  lump 
of  alum  as  large  as  a  hickory  nut,  pour  vinegar 
over  them,  and  boil  them  ten  or  fifteen  minutes; 
remove  the  leaves  and  let  the  pickles  stand  in  this 
vinegar  for  a  week;  then  stuff  them  with  the  fol- 
lowing mixture:  One  pound  of  ginger,  soaked  in 
brine  for  a  day  or  two  and  cut  in  slices,  one  ounce 
of  black  pepper,  one  of  mace,  one  of  allspice,  one 

of  tumeric,  half  a  pound  of  garlic,  soaked  in  brine 

[188] 


VINE  VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS 


for  a  day  or  two  and  then  dried,  one  pint  of  grated 
horse-radish,  one  of  black  mustard-seed,  and  one 
of  white  mustard-seed.  Bruise  all  the  spices  and 
mix  with  a  teacup ful  of  pure  olive  oil.  To  each 
mango  add  one  teaspoonf ul  of  brown  sugar ;  cut  one 
solid  head  of  cabbage  fine,  add  one  pint  of  small 
onions,  a  few  small  cucumbers,  and  green  tomatoes. 
Lay  them  in  brine  for  a  day  and  night,  then  drain 
them  well,  and  add  the  imperfect  mangoes,  chopped 
fine,  and  the  spices ;  mix  thoroughly ;  stuff  the  man- 
goes and  tie  them;  put  them  in  a  stone  jar  and  pour 
over  them  the  best  cider  vinegar.  Set  them  in  a 
bright,  dry  place  till  they  are  canned.  In  a  month 
add  three  pounds  of  brown  sugar.  If  this  is  not 
enough  add  more  to  taste.  This  is  for  four  dozen 
mangoes. 

SQUASHES 

Squash  are  such  rank  growing  vegetables  that  they 
are  especially  benefited  by  liberal  pinching  back,  and 
this  should  be  done  as  soon  as  the  vines  are  a  few 
inches  long  and  continued  at  intervals  until  culti- 
vation ceases.  There  is  little  difference  in  the  culti- 
vation accorded  the  summer  and  winter  squash. 

The  varieties  known  as  bush  squash,  however,  are 

[189] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


planted  much  closer  together — from  three  to  four 
feet,  giving  room  enough  for  these.  Where  one 
has  a  convenient  compost  heap,  sufficient  summer 
squash  may  be  grown  on  it  to  supply  the  needs  of 
the  table.  They  make  a  pleasing  addition  to  the 
summer  bill  of  fare,  and  some  of  them  are  good 
winter  keepers. 

For  a  winter  squash  there  are  no  better  varieties 
than  the  old-fashioned  Hubbard  and  the  Golden 
Hubbard,  the  latter  being  a  much  more  prolific 
bearer  and  ripening  its  fruit  much  in  advance  of 
the  warted  Hubbard.  I  do  not  think  it  is  quite  so 
good  a  keeper  as  the  Hubbard;  these  we  have  had 
in  perfection  until  mid-March,  but  so  much  de- 
pends upon  the  manner  of  handling  the  squash 
after  harvesting  that  that  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration in  comparing  any  two  varieties. 

Any  variety  of  squash  must  be  gathered  before 
they  are  injured  by  frost,  but  unless  the  shell  is  so 
hard  as  to  resist  the  thumb  nail,  they  will  not  prove 
good  winter  keepers,  nor  will  they  cook  very  dry 
and  mealy,  as  a  good  squash  should.  Such  squash 
should  be  used  at  once  if  for  table  use,  but  they 
will  be  much  relished  by  the  poultry  should  they 

be  unfit  for  household  use,  and  should  be  stored 

[190] 


VINE  VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS 


in  as  dry  a  place  as  possible  and  kept  for  that 
purpose. 

TOOTHSOME   WAYS   OF  COOKING   SQUASH 

The  green  or  summer  squash  is  best  when  the 
rind  has  begun  to  turn  yellow,  as  it  is  then  less 
watery  and  insipid  than  when  younger.  Wash 
them,  cut  them  in  large  pieces,  and  take  out  the 
seeds.  Steam  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  or  until 
quite  tender.  When  done,  place  on  a  piece  of 
cheese-cloth  over  a  colander  and  press  with  a  po- 
tato-masher or  spoon  till  smooth ;  then  take  the  ends 
of  the  cheese-cloth  and  twist  them  until  all  the  mois- 
ture possible  is  extracted  from  the  squash. 

Put  in  a  stew-pan  and  season  with  butter,  pep- 
per and  salt,  and  set  it  on  the  range,  stirring  fre- 
quently, until  quite  dry,  taking  care  that  it  does 
not  burn.  Or  it  may  be  set  in  the  oven  until  dry, 
when  it  should  be  served  in  a  hot  dish. 

BAKED    WINTER    SQUASH 

Winter  squash  should  never  be  cooked  in  water, 
as  its  quality  depends  upon  the  mealy  dryness  of 
the  vegetable.  Break  into  large  pieces,  remove  the 
seed,  and  place  in  a  dripping-pan,  first  sprinkling 

[191] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

lightly  with  sugar,  and  place  in  the  oven  to  bake 
for  about  an  hour,  or  until  done.  When  done,  peel 
and  mash  like  mashed  potatoes,  seasoning  with 
butter,  pepper,  and  salt,  or  serve  in  the  shells,  to  be 
eaten  like  sweet  potatoes. 

Squash  retains  its  sweetness  much  better  this  way 
than  when  boiled  and  is  far  dryer.  The  next  best 
thing  to  baking  is  steaming,  the  squash  being 
broken  into  pieces,  the  shell  removed  or  not,  as 
preferred,  and  steamed  till  done,  when  it  is  mashed 
and  seasoned  and  placed  in  the  oven  a  few  mo- 
ments to  dry  out. 

PUMPKIN  PIE 

One  quart  of  steamed  or  baked  pumpkin  or 
squash  pressed  through  a  sieve,  nine  eggs,  whites 
and  yolks  beaten  separately,  two  quarts  of  milk, 
one  teaspoonful  of  mace,  one  teaspoonful  of  cin- 
namon, and  the  same  of  nutmeg.  One  and  one- 
half  cupfuls  of  white  or  very  light-brown  sugar. 
Beat  all  well  together  and  bake  in  a  crust  without 

a  cover. 

SQUASH  PIE 

One  pint  of  steamed,  dry  squash,  one  cupful  of 

brown  sugar,  three  eggs,  two  tablespoonfuls  of 

[192] 


JAPANESE   CLIMBING   CUCUMBER   NEARLY   SIX   FEET   FROM   THE   GROUND 


WELL-GROWN   CUCUMBERS 


A   PERFECTLY   GROWN   MUSKMELON 
FORDHOOK    EARLY   WATERMELONS 


VINE  VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS 


molasses,  one  tablespoonful  of  melted  butter,  one 
tablespoonful  of  ginger,  one  teaspoonful  of  cin- 
namon, a  pinch  of  salt,  and  one  pint  of  milk.  This 
makes  two  ordinary  pies  or  one  large  deep  one. 


SQUASH    SOUFFLE    PIE 


Cook  four  tablespoonfuls  of  flour  in  one-half 
cup  of  butter  until  smooth,  add  gradually  one  and 
one-quarter  cupfuls  of  rich  milk,  three-quarters  of 
a  cupful  of  sugar,  one-half  cupful  of  molasses,  and 
two  cupfuls  of  sifted  squash.  Cook  until  the  boil- 
ing point  is  reached,  then  cool  a  little  and  stir 
gradually  into  the  beaten  yolks  of  six  eggs,  season 
with  cinnamon,  and  fold  into  the  mixture  the 
beaten  whites  of  four  eggs.  Turn  into  tins  covered 
with  rich  pastry  that  has  baked  fifteen  minutes, 
and  return  to  the  oven  to  finish  baking  the  crust 
and  to  cook  the  souffle  for  about  twenty  minutes. 

When  cool,  cover  with  a  meringue  made  of  the 
two  remaining  whites  and  set  in  the  oven  to  brown 
slightly.  Baked  in  patty  tins,  these  are  very  nice 
for  luncheons  and  Sunday  night  suppers. 


[193] 


CHAPTER    TWELVE 
GREENS   AND   SALAD   VEGETABLES 


1  HE  plants  which  are  grown  for  their  leaves 
which  are  eaten  either  cooked  or  raw  form  a  health- 
ful and  important  part  of  the  garden's  offerings. 
It  is  a  question  if  any  of  the  cooked  vegetables 
afford  so  marked  a  relief  from  the  winter  bill  of 
fare  as  does  the  dish  of  dandelion  or  other  greens, 
which  may  be  gathered  wild  by  the  dweller  in 
country  or  village.  Unfortunately,  these  wild 
things  of  the  fields  and  woods  are  not  so  avail- 
able to  the  dweller  in  towns  and  cities,  but  there 
are  many  cultivated  vegetables  which  are  very 
palatable  substitutes  for  these  and  may  be  grown 
in  the  limited  area  of  the  back-yard  garden. 
In  the  cities  materials  for  salads  may  be  obtained 
throughout  the  year;  this  is  especially  true  of  let- 
tuce and  celery  salad,  which  is  in  the  market  most 
of  the  year. 

[194] 


GREENS    AND    SALAD    VEGETABLES 
WATER-CRESS 

This  is  prized  for  salads  and  sandwiches,  and 
grows  wild  along  the  margins  of  streams  and  about 
springs.  Similar  conditions  may  be  supplied  for  a 
small  patch  of  it  by  planting  it  about  a  hydrant 
from  which  water  is  allowed  to  trickle.  Good  soil, 
supplemented  with  a  liberal  addition  of  leaf-mould 
from  the  compost,  should  be  supplied,  and  in  this 
the  cress  seed  may  be  sown  in  shallow  drills  a 
few  inches  apart.  The  only  culture  it  will  require 
after  once  getting  started  will  be  to  keep  it  free 
from  weeds. 

Upland  cress,  which  is  more  frequently  grown 
in  the  home  garden,  is  grown  in  shallow  drills  in 
beds,  setting  the  rows  a  few  inches  apart  and  thin- 
ning the  plants  somewhat  by  using  plants  from 
too  congested  parts  of  the  drills.  Repeated  sowings 
should  be  made  at  intervals,  as  the  upland  cress 
quickly  forms  seed  and  is  no  longer  useful  for  the 
table.  The  Upland  Cress  and  the  Extra  Curled  or 
Peppergrass  are  the  varieties  commonly  grown, 
while  the  Erfurt  Water  Cress  is  the  variety  fa- 
voured for  this  sort. 

Very  dainty  sandwiches  are  made  by  buttering 
[195] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


lightly  slices  of  very  thin  bread,  with  the  crust  re- 
moved, salting  slightly  and  placing  sprigs  of  the 
cress  between  the  slices.  Only  the  newest,  most  ten- 
der leaves  should  be  used  for  this  purpose.  Cress 
is  also  served  as  an  appetiser,  to  be  eaten  with  the 
fingers,  accompanied  with  salt. 

CORN    SALAD 

This  unique  and  comparatively  little  known  salad 
plant  is  much  liked  by  some.  It  is  sown  early  in 
spring  in  drills  one  foot  apart.  It  is  one  of  the  quick- 
growing  vegetables,  maturing  in  about  six  to  eight 
weeks.  For  winter  and  early  spring  use,  sown  in 
drills  in  August  and  September.  It  should  be  pro- 
tected over  winter  by  a  light  mulch  of  straw  or 
litter. 

ENDIVE 

Is  one  of  the  best  and  most  wholesome  salads  for 
fall  and  winter  use.  Sow  in  shallow  drills  in  April 
for  early  use,  or  for  late  use,  sowings  may  be  made 
in  June  or  July.  When  two  or  three  inches  high, 
thin  out  to  stand  about  a  foot  apart  in  the  rows. 
The  plants  which  are  removed  may  be  used  to  set 
other  rows  or  to  fill  in  any  vacant  places  in  the 

present  rows.  They  should  have  mellow  and  very 

[196] 


GREENS  AND  SALAD  VEGETABLES 

rich  soil,  as  all  salad  vegetables  require  to  make  a 
quick  growth  in  order  that  the  leaves  may  be  crisp 
and  tender. 

When  they  have  nearly  gotten  their  growth,  the 
plants  should  be  blanched  by  bringing  the  outer 
leaves  together  above  the  heart  and  tying  with 
yarn  raffia  or  bits  of  cloth  strips,  or  anything  which 
will  not  bruise  the  leaves.  The  tying  must  be  done 
in  dry  weather,  a  clear,  sunshiny  day  being  best, 
or,  like  the  cauliflower,  the  inner  part  of  the  plants 
will  mildew  or  decay.  Some  growers  cover  the 
plants  with  boards  or  canvas,  much  as  is  done  in 
the  case  of  celery.  It  takes  from  three  to  four  weeks 
to  blanch  the  plants.  Like  all  vegetables,  it  is  nec- 
essary to  keep  the  rows  clear  of  weeds  and  well 
cultivated.  Going  through  the  rows  before  a  good 
rain,  which  has  been  preceded  by  a  prolonged  spell 
of  dry  weather,  should  always  be  done  if  possible, 
as  this  puts  the  soil  in  condition  to  absorb  and  re- 
tain the  moisture  and  fits  it  for  another  dry  spell, 

should  one  follow. 

* 

ENDIVE    SALAD 

The  plants  for  this  should  be  nicely  blanched 
and  crisp.  It  is  the  most  wholesome  of  all  salads. 

[197] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Take  two  plants,  cut  away  the  roots,  remove  the 
dark-green  leaves,  and  pick  off  all  the  rest;  wash 
and  drain  well  and  add  a  few  chives;  dress  with 
mayonnaise  dressing. 

KALE 

Kale  is  cultivated  the  same  as  cabbage.  It  may 
be  sown  from  May  to  June,  one  ounce  of  seed 
planting  two  hundred  feet  of  drill.  For  early 
spring  use,  sow  in  September  and  protect  during 
winter.  A  light  frost  improves  kale,  in  this  respect 
it  being  much  like  turnips  and  cauliflowers. 

LETTUCE 

Lettuce  requires  a  rich,  mellow  soil,  the  richer  the 
better,  as  all  plants  of  this  character,  in  which  the 
leaves  are  the  edible  part,  depend  upon  the  rapid- 
ity of  their  growth  for  their  peculiar  crispness  and 
toothsomeness.  For  early  plants,  sow  the  seed  in 
the  hotbed  in  March  or  April,  or  in  flats  in  the 
house,  and  transplant  to  a  sheltered  border  with  a 
sunny  southern  exposure  as  soon  as  the  plants  are 
large  enough  and  the  ground  outside  in  a  suitable 
condition.  For  later  use,  the  seed  may  be  sown  in 

the  open  ground  at  any  time  in  April  or  May  and 

[198] 


GREENS  AND  SALAD  VEGETABLES 


continued  for  a  succession  at  intervals  throughout 
the  summer  until  August.  The  plants  should  be 
thinned  out  to  eight  or  ten  inches  apart  in  the  rows 
if  fine  heads  are  wanted.  The  rows  should  be  kept 
free  from  weeds  and  the  soil  loose  and  open  at  all 
times.  In  dry  spells  water  should  be  flowed  over 
the  ground,  and  an  occasional  watering  of  liquid 
manure  will  be  of  benefit.  By  picking  the  outer 
leaves  the  inner  ones  will  continue  to  develop,  and 
in  this  way  a  very  small  patch  be  made  to  furnish 
a  considerable  amount  of  lettuce. 

Lettuce  is  a  useful  crop  for  following  other  vege- 
tables or  for  filling  in  vacant  places  left  by  the 
maturing  of  other  plants  or  the  failure  of  seeds  to 
germinate.  The  hotbed  may  be  devoted  to  the 
growing  of  radishes  and  lettuce  as  soon  as  the 
plants  started  therein  have  been  transferred  to  the 
open  ground.  When  used  for  this  purpose,  it  will 
be  well  to  provide  a  shade  of  light  cotton  cloth  to 
cover  the  frames  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  as  the  sun's 
rays  are  liable  to  prove  too  strong  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  hotbed,  which  is  selected  for  its  sun  and 
warmth. 

A  few  hills  of  lettuce  may  be  started  around  the 
melons  and  squashes  and  will  become  of  size  to  use 

[199] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


before  the  vines  need  the  room.  Like  the  radish, 
the  lettuce  is  one  of  the  plants  which  may  be  stuck 
in  anywhere. 

There  are  so  many  good  varieties  of  lettuce  that 
one  hesitates  to  make  a  selection.  For  my  own 
personal  use  I  have  always  preferred  those  sorts 
which  show  a  tint  of  bronze  on  the  leaves,  the 
Early  Prize  Head  being  a  most  delicious  variety. 
The  Black  Seeded  Simpson  is  a  fine  home  variety 
of  the  light  green  type,  and  the  Grand  Rapids 
Forcing  Lettuce  an  excellent  sort  for  early  grow- 
ing in  hotbed  or  frames.  All  Season  lettuce  is  a 
very  popular  sort  at  the  North,  forming  large 
compact  heads  which  much  resemble  a  flat-head 
cabbage. 

SOME     WAYS     OF    USING     LETTUCE 

Everything  used  in  the  concoction  of  a  salad 
should  be  of  the  best  and  freshest  material.  The 
vegetables  fresh  and  crisp,  the  oil  of  the  purest 
or  butter  of  the  freshest,  and  the  flavour  of  the 
vinegar  beyond  reproach. 

Lettuce  salad  is  one  of  the  simplest  and  most 
available  of  salads,  and  lends  itself  to  many  com- 
binations with  other  vegetables,  fish,  and  meats.  A 

[200] 


GREENS  AND  SALAD  VEGETABLES 


salmon  or  lobster  salad  without  its  crisp,  under- 
lying leaf  of  lettuce  is  a  disappointment  in  appear- 
ance and  in  taste. 

Vinegar  used  with  lettuce  should  be  much  weaker 
than  for  other  vegetables,  a  too  sour  vinegar  quite 
spoiling  the  flavour  of  the  lettuce.  One  of  the  sim- 
plest and  most  satisfactory  ways  in  which  to  serve 
lettuce  is  undressed,  but  very  fresh  and  crisp  in  a 
well-chilled  salad  bowl.  Accompanying  it  should 
be  served,  carefully  shelled,  chilled,  hard-boiled 
eggs,  and  sugar  and  vinegar  passed.  This  makes 
a  salad  of  the  freshest  and  simplest. 

LETTUCE    SALAD 

Take  three  hard-boiled  eggs  and  salt  and  mus- 
tard to  taste,  make  it  fine ;  make  a  paste  by  adding 
a  dessertspoonful  of  olive  oil  or  melted  butter; 
mix  thoroughly,  and  then  dilute  by  adding  gradu- 
ally a  teacupful  of  vinegar,  and  pour  over  the  let- 
tuce. Garnish  by  slicing  another  egg  and  laying 
over  the  lettuce. 

MUSTARD 

Is  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  vegetables  used 

for  greens.  It  is  also  used  in  combination  with  cress 

[201] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

as  a  salad.  The  seed  of  both  the  black  and  white 
mustard  is  quite  universally  used  in  pickles  of 
various  kinds. 

For  salad  use,  it  is  sown  thickly  in  shallow  drills 
about  six  inches  apart,  forming  beds  of  the  drills. 
It  should  be  sown  at  intervals  during  the  summer 
to  assure  a  succession  of  new  and  tender  growth. 
For  early  spring  use,  it  may  be  sown  in  frames 
or  boxes,  where  it  can  be  kept  from  severe  cold. 
Keep  free  from  weeds  and  cultivate  sufficiently  to 
keep  the  soil  open  and  soft. 

In  using  mustard  for  salads  or  greens  only  the 
leaves  are  used,  and  these  should  be  carefully 
washed  and  looked  over  that  no  grit  or  insects  may 
be  included  in  the  cooking.  Cook  like  spinach  in 
an  open  vessel  until  done,  drain  through  a  colan- 
der, pressing  free  from  moisture,  and  serve  sea- 
soned with  salt,  pepper,  and  melted  butter. 

SPINACH 

Is  one  of  our  most  important  vegetables,  and 
should  be  found  growing  in  every  garden.  The 
culture  is  simple:  the  chief  point  to  bear  in  mind 
is  that  it  requires  very  rich  soil;  it  can  scarcely  be 

too  rich,  as  upon  its  rapid  growth  depends  its  sue- 

[202] 


GREENS  AND  SALAD  VEGETABLES 


culence  and  tenderness.  For  spring  and  summer 
use  the  seed  is  sown  in  shallow  drills,  a  foot  apart 
and  one  inch  deep,  as  early  as  the  ground  can  be 
worked  in  the  spring  and  every  two  weeks  there- 
after for  a  succession.  For  winter  and  early  spring 
use,  sow  in  well-worked  and  manured  ground  in 
September,  covering  the  plants  from  frost  with 
straw  at  the  approach  of  severe  weather. 

The  Round-seeded  Savoy  is  one  of  the  best  vari- 
eties for  summer  use,  but  the  new  Victoria  is  said 
to  stand  the  warm  weather  somewhat  better  and  to 
be  in  many  respects  an  ideal  spinach.  The  New 
Zealand  variety  is  a  larger-growing  variety,  and 
is  usually  planted  in  hills  three  feet  apart  each  way. 
One  ounce  of  seed  will  plant  a  hundred  feet  of 
drill.  Keep  free  from  weeds  and  well  cultivated, 
watering  freely  in  dry  weather. 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  COOKING  SPINACH 
In  cooking  spinach  for  greens  only  the  tender 
parts  should  be  used,  and  these  should  be  care- 
fully washed  through  several  waters  to  entirely 
free  them  from  sand  or  any  insects  which  may 
have  found  lodgment.  Drain  and  put  to  cook  in 

boiling  water.  Fifteen  to  twenty  minutes  is  usu- 

[203] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ally  sufficient  time  in  which  to  cook  spinach.  Be 
careful  to  remove  all  scum  which  raises.  When  it 
is  quite  tender,  take  it  up  and  drain  it  well  by  lay- 
ing on  a  piece  of  cheese-cloth  over  a  colander  and 
pressing  out  all  water  with  a  spoon  or  potato 
masher.  Further  pressure  by  twisting  the  cheese- 
cloth will  remove  any  remaining  moisture,  after 
which  it  should  be  returned  to  the  saucepan  'with 
a  piece  of  butter  and  pepper  and  salt  to  taste.  Set 
it  on  the  range  and  let  it  stew  five  minutes,  stirring 
all  the  time.  Serve  on  a  hot  vegetable  dish,  formed 
into  a  mound  and  garnished  with  sliced  hard- 
boiled  eggs.  In  order  that  the  spinach  may  retain 
its  fine  green  colour,  the  vessel  in  which  it  is  cooked 
should  not  be  covered. 

CREAM    OF    SPINACH    SOUP 

One-half  peck  of  spinach  washed  and  cooked  in 
a  cup  of  boiling  water  with  one  teaspoonful  of  salt 
for  five  minutes  in  a  porcelain  kettle;  chop  it  and 
rub  through  a  sieve.  While  it  is  being  pressed 
through  a  sieve  add  to  it  one  pint  of  chicken  stock. 
Let  a  quart  of  milk  come  to  a  boil  in  a  double  ket- 
tle, add  one  teaspoonful  of  grated  onion,  a  blade 
of  mace,  and  a  bay  leaf.  Rub  smooth  three  table- 


GREENS    AND    SALAD    VEGETABLES 

spoonfuls  of  flour  and  two  of  butter  and  stir  them 
into  the  boiling  milk;  continue  to  stir  until  it  is 
thick  and  smooth,  add  the  spinach  and  rub  through 
a  puree  sieve,  return  to  the  double  boiler  and  bring 
to  the  boiling  point,  and  serve  in  a  hot  tureen. 

SPINACH    BALLS 

Pound  to  a  paste  in  a  mortar  the  yolks  of  two 
hard-boiled  eggs  and  rub  smooth  with  the  yolk  of 
one  raw  egg;  season  with  salt,  a  drop  of  tabasco, 
and  a  very  little  melted  butter.  Mix  with  one  cup 
of  cold  cooked  spinach,  drained  and  pressed  as  dry 
as  possible.  Make  into  small  balls,  roll  in  flour,  and 
fry  in  a  basket  a  few  at  a  time. 


[205] 


CHAPTER    THIRTEEN 
PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


1  HE  list  of  perennial  vegetables  commonly  grown 
in  the  kitchen  garden  is  not  large,  but  it  includes 
some  of  the  most  indispensable  vegetables  of  the 
kitchen  cuisine.  They  come  into  use  so  early  in  the 
spring  that  they  provide  fresh  vegetables  at  a 
time  when  the  palate  is  most  jaded  from  a  winter 
diet  and  bridge  over  the  period  of  waiting  for  the 
new  planting  to  become  productive. 

ASPARAGUS 

Is  the  most  palatable  of  our  spring  vegetables  and 
comes  into  cutting  in  May.  The  usual  way  of  start- 
ing an  asparagus  bed  is  by  setting  out  the  roots, 
which  are  obtained  of  the  florist  or  market  gar- 
dener ;  but  very  excellent,  though  somewhat  slower, 
results  follow  the  planting  of  seed.  In  growing 
the  asparagus  from  seed,  the  usual  way  is  to  plant 
the  seed  in  drills  in  rows  one  foot  apart  in  thor- 

[206] 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 

oughly  pulverized  and  well-manured  ground.  The 
plants  must  be  kept  entirely  free  from  weeds,  and 
to  achieve  this  it  will  be  necessary  to  do  consider- 
able hand  work,  pulling  out  the  weeds  from  be- 
tween the  plants  and  loosening  up  the  soil  with  the 
fingers.  The  young  asparagus  plants*  are  very 
slender  and  fragile,  and  thus  close  culture  and 
weeding  is  essential.  As  soon  as  the  plants  are  a  few 
inches  high,  they  should  be  thinned  out  to  stand 
six  inches  apart,  and  from  that  on  be  cultivated 
sufficiently  to  keep  the  soil  mellow  and  entirely 
free  from  weeds. 

The  second  spring  the  young  plants  may  be 
transplanted  into  permanent  beds,  which  should  be 
so  located  as  not  to  be  in  the  way  of  the  cultivation 
of  other  parts  of  the  garden.  It  will  be  found  that 
setting  the  rows  far  enough  apart  to  cultivate  be- 
tween will  greatly  advance  the  culture  and  lessen 
the  care. 

The  ground  for  the  permanent  beds  should  be 
very  rich  or  specially  prepared.  The  rows  should, 
if  they  are  to  be  cultivated  by  the  hand-cultivator, 
be  not  less  than  eighteen  inches  apart  and  the  plants 
set  a  foot  apart  in  the  rows;  this  will  enable  the 
gardener  to  cultivate  each  way  of  the  plants  and 

[207] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


will  produce  fuller  stools  of  asparagus  and  larger 
shoots  than  if  the  plants  are  set  closer  together. 

In  preparing  the  ground  for  the  plants,  it  should 
be  trenched  to  a  depth  of  eighteen  or  twenty  inches, 
several  inches  of  rich  manure  worked  into  the  bot- 
tom of  the  trench,  and  the  plants  set  in  this.  Suf- 
ficient earth  should  be  filled  in  about  the  roots  to 
cover  them  three  inches  deep,  more  soil  to  be  added 
in  cultivating  after  the  plants  are  set.  Place  the 
roots  in  a  natural  position,  rounding  up  the  soil 
somewhat  under  the  crown  and  spreading  out  the 
roots ;  press  down  the  earth  firmly  about  them  and 
level  all  off  gradually  in  cultivating. 

Thorough  culture  may  be  given  the  first  year, 
or  resort  may  be  had  to  a  mulch  of  straw,  marsh 
hay,  or  lawn  clippings,  which  will  greatly  reduce 
the  care  of  the  beds,  and  if  sufficient  material  is 
used,  keep  the  beds  in  quite  satisfactory  condition. 

As  soon  as  the  plants  have  become  old  enough 
to  bear  berries  I  prefer  to  cut  the  fruiting  tops 
before  the  seed  shall  have  ripened  and  burn  them, 
replacing  with  other  litter;  but  this  should  not  be 
done  till  the  tops  have  quite  matured.  I  find  that 
allowing  the  old  plants  to  seed  will,  in  a  short  time, 

produce  a  crop  of  young  plants  which,  unless  re- 

[208] 


Lo< 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


lentlessly  treated  as  weeds,  choke  out  the  old  plants, 
and  are  troublesome  to  destroy  and  altogether  un- 
desirable. 

Cutting  for  use  may  begin  the  second  season, 
but  should  not  be  carried  to  the  extent  that  would 
be  practised  on  an  old  bed,  and  should  be  discon- 
tinued while  yet  the  roots  are  throwing  large, 
healthy  shoots.  In  cutting  asparagus  for  use,  it 
should  be  cut  just  below  the  surface,  never  very 
much  under  it,  as  all  that  grows  below  the  surface 
is  tough  and  unfit  for  use.  Where  the  bed  is  not 
producing  sufficient  for  use  at  first,  it  may  be  gath- 
ered from  day  to  day  and  placed  upright  in  a  dish 
of  water  until  sufficient  has  accumulated  for  use. 
It  will,  in  this  way,  make  considerable  growth  and 
the  flavour  will  not  be  very  much  impaired. 

As  soon  as  the  bed  has  come  into  bearing  it 
should  have  all  the  rough  litter  removed  very  early 
in  the  spring  and  a  liberal  top  dressing  of  wood 
ashes  and  fresh  manure  spread  over  it.  Nitrate  of 
soda  and  other  commercial  fertilisers  may  be  ap- 
plied at  this  time  or  deferred  until  the  roughest  of 
the  manure  is  removed  preparatory  to  cutting. 
Salt  is  often  applied  in  the  proportion  of  six  hun- 
dred pounds  per  acre,  or  about  four  pounds  to  the 

[209] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

square  rod,  but  it  is  not  a  plant  food  and  only 
serves  as  a  weed  killer  for  a  very  short  time.  If 
one  wishes  very  early  asparagus,  one  should  plant 
it  in  rows  running  east  and  west  and  with  a  sunny 
southern  exposure  and  protected  on  the  north  by 
a  high  wall  or  building.  A  rough  board  frame 
around  the  beds,  covered  with  sash,  may  be  pro- 
vided and  this  well  banked  with  rough  litter  during 
winter.  In  February  this  is  removed  and  the  frames 
filled  with  fresh  manure,  which  should  also  be 
banked  about  the  outside  of  the  frames.  Part  of 
the  inside  manure  will  need  to  be  removed  as  soon 
as  growth  begins  and  the  sashes  lifted  during  the 
warmer  part  of  the  day  to  admit  air.  As  soon  as 
the  weather  becomes  warm  the  sash  and  frames 
may  be  removed  and  the  beds  given  the  usual  treat- 
ment. 

Asparagus  is  successfully  forced  in  warm  cellars 
by  lifting  clumps  of  roots  in  the  fall  and  placing 
them  on  the  floor  of  the  cellar,  as  is  done  with 
rhubarb.  It  is,  of  course,  necessary  that  the  plants 
become  frozen  for  some  time  before  forcing  and 
that  the  cellar  be  warm  and  dark,  or  that  light 
should  be  shut  away  from  the  immediate  vicinity 

of  the  plants  by  turning  boxes  or  barrels  over 

[210] 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


them.  A  position  back  of  a  furnace  offers  a  favour- 
able position,  as  it  is  usually  out  of  the  way,  warm, 
and  not  too  light.  Here,  on  the  cement  bottom  of 
the  cellar,  a  bed  of  rough  boards  or  a  big  shallow 
box,  adapted  to  the  purpose,  may  be  prepared,  and 
the  roots,  which  must  be  lifted  before  the  ground 
freezes,  but  left  outside  to  freeze,  covered  with 
loose  earth  until  some  time  in  November  or  De- 
cember, when  they  are  set  closely  together  therein. 
Sufficient  earth  should  be  added  to  cover  the  crowns 
of  the  plants,  and  this  may  be  well  enriched  with 
manure.  It  should  be  kept  moist,  for  it  will  be  re- 
membered that  the  asparagus  is  a  plant  of  the 
spring,  when  the  earth  teems  with  moisture.  If  the 
cellar  is  at  all  light,  it  will  be  necessary  to  cover 
the  beds  with  a  frame  of  wood,  covered  with  can- 
vas, old  carpet,  or  anything  convenient,  or  even 
a  heavy  mulching  of  straw.  This  is  not  actually 
necessary  after  growth  has  begun  and  the  shoots 
are  breaking  ground.  Additional  heat  may  be  pro- 
vided by  placing  a  lantern  under  the  frame  and 
covering  the  beds  with  a  piece  of  old  carpet,  but 
this  must  not  be  retained  long  enough  to  engender 
mould  or  mustiness. 

[211] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


SOME    OF    THE     WAYS     OF     COOKING 
ASPARAGUS 

CREAM    OF    ASPARAGUS 

Cook  twelve  stalks  of  asparagus  in  one  quart  of 
water,  add  two  sprays  of  parsley,  three  leaves  of 
mint,  and  two  small  green  onions.  When  the  as- 
paragus is  tender,  rub  all  through  a  sieve,  mash- 
ing and  rubbing  through  as  much  as  possible.  Re- 
turn to  the  fire,  add  a  teaspoonful  of  celery-salt,  a 
teaspoonful  of  paprika,  and  one  pint  of  hot  milk. 
When  it  comes  to  a  boil,  draw  back  from  the  stove 
and  add  the  yolks  of  two  eggs,  beaten  with  half 
a  cup  of  cream.  Have  a  tablespoonful  of  finely 
chopped  parsley  in  the  soup  tureen  and  pour  over 
the  hot  soup  and  serve  at  once.  A  tablespoonful  of 
flour,  rubbed  smooth  in  a  tablespoonful  of  butter, 
may  be  substituted  for  the  eggs  and  cream.  If  a 
rich,  creamy  consistency  is  desired,  place  a  half  cup- 
ful of  whipped  cream  in  the  tureen  before  adding 
the  soup. 

ASPARAGUS    SOUP 

Boil  slowly  for  forty  minutes  one  bunch  of  as- 
paragus, which  has  been  cut  into  inch  pieces,  in 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 

one  pint  of  water.  At  the  end  of  this  time  remove 
the  tips  and  press  the  remainder  through  a  colan- 
der. Place  a  quart  of  milk  in  a  double  boiler,  and 
when  it  boils  stir  into  it  two  tablespoonfuls  of  flour 
and  one  heaping  tablespoonful  of  butter  rubbed 
together  until  smooth.  Stir  until  smooth  and  thick; 
then  add  the  asparagus  which  was  pressed  through 
the  colander,  season  with  salt  and  pepper,  heat, 
then  add  the  asparagus  tips,  and  serve  at  once  very 
hot. 

ASPARAGUS    TIPS    IN    CROTJSTADES 

These  are  nice  served  with  broiled  lamb  chops, 
with  fried  chickens,  or  as  an  entree.  The  crou- 
stades  are  nicer  if  prepared  from  round  loaves  of 
bread,  made  by  baking  in  a  tin  can  or  in  a  Quaker- 
crimped  bread-pan,  but  square  slices  of  bread,  three 
or  four  inches  square,  may  be  used.  Trim  the  slices 
of  bread,  which  should  be  free  from  crusts,  two 
inches  thick.  Remove  from  the  centre  of  each  as 
much  of  the  crumb  as  possible,  leaving  a  small 
square  or  round  box;  fry  a  golden  brown  in  a  ket- 
tle of  hot  fat,  or  butter  inside  and  out,  and  brown 
in  a  quick  oven.  Fill  the  centres  with  asparagus 
tips  dressed  with  a  delicate  cream  sauce. 

[213] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ASPARAGUS    CREAM    OMELETTE 

Stir  one  heaping  tablespoonful  of  butter  and  the 
same  amount  of  flour  together.  Set  the  saucepan 
over  the  fire,  and  when  well  blended  add  one  cup 
of  milk;  stir  until  smooth;  add  a  teaspoonful  of 
chopped  parsley;  remove  from  the  fire  and  cool. 
Beat  three  eggs  separately,  the  whites  to  a  stiff 
froth;  add  the  yolks  to  the  cold  sauce,  with  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  salt  and  a  dash  of  cayenne.  Add  also 
one  cup  of  asparagus  tips  and  the  stiffly  beaten 
whites.  Put  a  tablespoonful  of  butter  in  a  hot  fry- 
ing-pan. When  it  is  brown,  pour  in  the  mixture, 
break  it  in  pieces  with  a  fork  to  allow  the  uncooked 
portion  to  run  down.  When  it  is  set,  place  in  a 
hot  oven  for  five  minutes,  double  over,  and  serve. 

ASPARAGUS    LOAF    WITH    YELLOW    BECHAMEL 

SAUCE 

Butter  thoroughly  a  charlotte  mould  of  quart 
size  and  line  it  with  well-drained,  cooked  aspara- 
gus tips.  Cook  two  tablespoonfuls  of  flour  and  two 
tablespoonfuls  of  butter  together,  add  a  teaspoon- 
ful of  salt,  a  dash  of  cayenne,  and  a  cup  of  cream; 
gradually  allow  it  to  boil  five  minutes,  remove  from 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


the  fire,  and  add  one  cup  of  cooked  asparagus  tips 
and  four  eggs  thoroughly  beaten.  Turn  the  mixture 
carefully  into  the  decorated  mould,  set  the  moul(J 
in  a  pan  of  hot  water,  and  cook  in  a  moderate  oven 
about  thirty  minutes,  or  until  the  centre  is  firm. 
Turn  the  loaf  onto  a  hot  platter,  arrange  about 
it  little  triangular  pieces  of  bread  that  have  been 
dipped  in  beaten  eggs  and  milk  and  browned  in 
hot  butter.  Pour  around  the  sauce  and  serve  at 
once. 

YELLOW    BECHAMEL    SAUCE 

Mix  two  tablespoonfuls  of  flour  and  two  of  but- 
ter, cook  until  it  begins  to  bubble,  add  gradually 
half  a  cup  of  hot  stock  and  half  a  cup  of  milk.  When 
sauce  boils,  set  in  a  dish  of  hot  water  and  stir  in 
the  beaten  yolks  of  two  eggs,  half  a  cup  of  cooked 
asparagus  tips,  a  teaspoonful  of  salt,  a  dash  of  cay- 
enne, and  a  tablespoonful  of  lemon  juice.  In  place 
of  stock,  the  water  in  which  the  asparagus  was 
cooked  may  be  used. 

ASPARAGUS    ON    TOAST 

Scrape  the  stems  of  the  asparagus  lightly,  but 
very  clean;  throw  them  into  cold  water,  and  when 

all  are  ready,  tie  them  in  bunches  of  equal  size, 

[215] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


cutting  the  large  ends  off  neatly  and  evenly,  and 
stand  upright  in  a  deep  saucepan  of  boiling,  salted 
water,  which  should  not  cover  the  tips,  but  allow 
these  to  steam  done,  so  that  they  may  not  be  over- 
cooked by  cooking  as  long  as  the  tougher  parts. 
Have  ready  several  slices  of  bread  toasted  a  deli- 
cate brown ;  dip  these  quickly  in  the  water  in  which 
the  asparagus  was  boiled  and  dish  the  vegetables 
upon  it,  the  points  all  turned  the  same  way,  and 
send  to  table  with  a  white  sauce  or  melted  butter. 
In  cooking  asparagus,  it  should  be  removed  from 
the  water  the  moment  it  is  done  in  order  that  the 
colour  and  flavour  may  be  at  its  best. 

STEWED    ASPARAGUS 

Prepare  as  for  asparagus  on  toast;  remove  from 
the  water  and  remove  the  strings.  Return  to  the 
saucepan  and  pour  over  a  half  cup  of  good  cream, 
and,  if  liked,  a  spoonful  of  flour  rubbed  smooth  in 
a  little  of  the  cream.  Some  prefer  the  asparagus 
dressed  in  this  way  and  with  the  asparagus  cut  in 
inch  lengths.  Prepared  this  way,  it  is  excellent  on 
toast. 

[216] 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


RHUBARB 

Is  much  appreciated  by  many  in  the  early  days  of 
spring,  and  has  certainly  much  to  recommend  it 
as  a  tonic  and  appetiser.  There  are  few  gardens 
in  which  a  root  or  two  of  rhubarb  will  not  be  found 
growing,  so  accommodating  is  it  as  to  environ- 
ment and  conditions,  but  it  is,  at  the  same  time, 
a  plant  which  will  well  repay  liberal  culture.  It 
should  be  given  a  permanent  position  in  a  warm, 
sunny  place,  and  the  ground  should  be  very  deeply 
dug,  as  the  plants  make  an  immense  root  growth, 
and  the  hole  in  which  it  is  set  should  be  dug  eigh- 
teen inches  or  two  feet  deep,  and  all  poor  soil  at 
the  bottom  should  be  removed  and  the  excavation 
filled  in  with  old  manure  and  good,  mellow  soil. 
On  this  the  roots  of  the  rhubarb  should  be  set,  the 
crown  only  a  little  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
The  ground  should  slope  away  from  the  plants  to 
insure  good  drainage  in  the  winter.  Cultivation 
in  the  early  spring  should  be  given,  but  will  not 
be  necessary  throughout  the  summer  if  a  mulch 
is  placed  over  the  ground  on  each  side  of  the 
plant.  The  great  overhanging  leaves  are  quite 
effectual  discouragers  of  weeds,  and  few,  if  any, 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


will  grow  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the 
root. 

A  heavy  mulch  of  rough  litter  should  be  applied 
about  the  plants  in  the  fall,  and  in  the  spring  half 
barrels  or  boxes  may  be  turned  over  the  plants  and 
fresh  manure  packed  about  them;  this  will  much 
advance  the  growth  of  the  plants.  Later,  as  the 
weather  grows  warm,  this  may  be  removed  and  the 
plants  allowed  to  make  a  natural  growth,  but  the 
use  of  the  barrels  acts  as  a  forcing  house  for  early 
stalks. 

Rhubarb  is  easily  forced  in  a  warm  cellar.  The 
roots  should  be  dug  before  the  ground  freezes  and 
left  outside,  lightly  covered  with  soil  and  brought 
into  the  cellar  after  they  have  been  severely  frozen. 
For  the  best  results,  however,  this  should  not  be 
done  until  about  Christmas  time,  it  will  force  better 
then.  A  dark,  warm  cellar  is  necessary,  and  where 
there  is  a  heating  plant,  the  furnace  room  will  afford 
an  excellent  location  for  their  forcing,  or  roots  may 
be  placed  on  the  ground  under  the  hot  water  or 
steam  pipes,  where  they  run  under  the  floors  of 
rooms  under  which  there  is  no  cellar.  If  a  strip  or 
two  of  wood  is  nailed  to  the  floor  above  the  pipes, 

to  which  a  heavy  piece  of  duck  or  canvas  can  be 

[218] 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


secured  to  extend  down  to  the  earth  beneath,  it 
will  form  an  enclosure  for  the  plants,  which  will  re- 
tain heat  and  shut  out  light  effectually.  It  will  also 
be  a  convenient  place  in  which  to  attend  to  them 
if  the  pipes  are  near  the  cellar  wall.  The  soil  in 
which  the  plants  are  set  should  cover  the  crowns 
several  inches  and  should  be  kept  moist — not  wet — 
and  any  suspicion  of  mould  or  mustiness  should 
be  counteracted  by  airing  as  needed.  Rhubarb 
grown  in  this  way  is  very  tender  and  delicate.  Old 
rhubarb  plants  in  the  garden  or  field  should  be  dug 
up,  divided,  and  plants  with  only  two  or  three 
buds  be  replanted  in  very  rich  soil  every  three  or 
four  years.  No  insects  are  injurious  to  the  rhubarb. 

RHUBARB    PIE    AND    OTHER    DELICACIES 

Skin  the  stalks,  cut  them  into  small  pieces  and 
wash  and  put  them  in  a  stew-pan  with  no  more 
water  than  adheres  to  them;  when  cooked,  mash 
them  fine  and  put  in  a  small  piece  of  butter ;  when 
cool,  sweeten  to  taste;  if  liked,  add  a  little  lemon- 
peel,  cinnamon,  or  nutmeg;  line  your  plate  with 
thin  crust,  put  in  the  filling,  cover  with  crust,  and 
bake  in  a  quick  oven;  sift  sugar  over  it  when 
served.  The  improved  varieties,  when  grown  rap- 

[219] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


idly,  are  so  tender  and  delicate  that  the  stalks  need 
not  be  peeled. 

Another  way  of  making  rhubarb  pie  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

Cut  the  large  stalks  off  where  the  leaves  com- 
mence, strip  off  the  outside  skin,  then  cut  the 
stalks  in  pieces  half  an  inch  long;  line  a  pie-plate 
with  rather  thick  paste,  put  a  layer  of  the  rhubarb 
nearly  an  inch  deep  (for  a  quart  bowl  of  cut  rhu- 
barb allow  a  large  teacupful  of  sugar) ;  strew  it 
over  with  a  saltspoonful  of  salt  and  a  little  nutmeg 
grated;  shake  over  a  little  flour,  cover  with  a  rich 
pie-crust,  cut  a  slit  in  the  centre,  trim  off  the  edge 
with  a  sharp  knife,  and  bake  in  a  quick  oven  until 
the  pie  loosens  from  the  dish.  Rhubarb  pies  made 
in  this  way  are  altogether  superior  to  those  made 
with  fruit  which  has  previously  been  stewed. 

RHUBARB    MERINGUE    PIE 

Prepare  the  rhubarb  as  for  the  preceding  pie, 
but  do  not  use  a  top  crust.  Place  in  the  oven  and 
bake  until  done;  take  from  the  oven  and  let  stand 
for  a  few  moments,  cover  with  a  meringue  made 

of  the  beaten  white  of  an  egg  and  one  tablespoon- 

[220] 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


ful  of  sugar,  and  return  to  a  slow  oven  until  it 
turns  a  golden  brown. 

RHUBARB    SAUCE 

Peel  and  cut  the  rhubarb  into  inch  pieces  and 
place  in  a  dish,  cover  with  sugar,  but  no  water,  and 
place  in  the  oven  and  bake  until  tender.  This  is 
far  finer  than  to  stew  the  rhubarb  on  the  stove 
with  water.  One  tablespoonful  of  gelatin  dis- 
solved in  water  and  added  to  one  quart  of  rhubarb 
will  produce  a  most  attractive  dish  when  moulded 
and  turned  out  in  a  glass  dish  for  serving. 

HORSE-RADISH 

May  be  grown  in  any  out-of-the-way  corner,  but 
seems  to  prefer  a  rather  low,  damp  place.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  easily  propagated  of  plants,  as  it 
thrives  best  when  most  disturbed.  A  small  piece 
of  the  root  stuck  in  the  ground  will  quickly  strike 
and  commence  to  grow.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the 
crown  of  the  plant  should  be  used,  a  piece  broken 
some  distance  below  the  crown  doing  equally  as 
well  and  often  better.  It  is  for  this  reason  difficult  to 
eradicate  once  it  has  become  established.  Last  year, 

in  extending  the  boundaries  of  my  flower  garden, 

[221] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


a  patch  of  horse-radish  was  encountered  which  was, 
as  far  as  possible,  dug  up ;  but  the  following  spring 
it  appeared  as  thrifty  as  ever,  and  although  it  was 
cut  at  frequent  intervals — making  the  cutting  as 
deep  in  the  ground  as  practicable — it  was  still  in  a 
most  flourishing  condition  when  fall  came,  when 
another  attempt  was  made  to  eradicate  it,  and  all 
this  new  growth  was  produced  from  the  broken 
ends  of  the  roots  left  in  the  ground  each  time. 

This  persistence  in  growth  makes  it  convenient 
for  use,  as  a  few  roots  may  be  dug  up  and  placed 
in  a  crock  of  water  and  will  continue  to  grow  and 
furnish  a  pungent  relish  for  weeks.  It  is  only  neces- 
sary to  see  that  the  water  is  changed  occasionally, 
so  that  it  does  not  become  slimy,  and  horse-radish 
will  be  at  hand  for  immediate  use  without  the  trou- 
ble of  going  to  the  garden  and  digging  it  up  each 
time  it  is  wanted.  It  is  one  of  the  easiest  of  vege- 
tables for  winter  forcing,  as  a  few  roots  can  be 
taken  up  and  placed  in  a  box  of  moist  earth  in  a 
light  cellar  and  will  continue  to  grow  all  winter. 

This  ease  of  culture  and  survival  under  unfa- 
vourable circumstances  indicate  that  it  will  spread 
rapidly,  but  this  does  not  seem  to  be  one  of  its 
faults,  as  a  patch  of  it  increases  its  boundaries  but 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 


slowly,  and  there  is  little  fear  of  its  overrunning 
the  garden  to  any  extent.  The  leaves  are  of  much 
use  in  sickness  as  a  blister,  and  the  plant  itself  high- 
ly ornamental. 

Horse-radish,  when  grated  for  the  table,  should 
be  mixed  with  white-wine  vinegar,  never  with  cider 
vinegar,  as  this  gives  it  an  unpleasant,  dirty  colour. 

PARSLEY 

Is  one  of  the  most  useful  of  our  perennial  vege- 
tables; it  enters  into  all  forms  of  savory  cooking, 
either  as  a  seasoning  or  as  a  garnish.  It  is  almost 
as  appetising  as  cress  for  a  sandwich,  and  gives  an 
air  to  the  plainest  dish  when  used  as  a  garnish. 
Strangely  enough,  its  use  seems  little  known  out- 
side the  cities,  and  is  regarded  rather  as  a  curiosity 
than  a  necessity  by  many.  It  is  easily  established  in 
any  spare  nook,  or  may  be  used  to  border  beds 
of  flowers  or  vegetables. 

The  usual  manner  of  starting  a  bed  of  parsley 
is  by  sowing  the  seed;  the  plants  may  be  trans- 
planted, but  will  not  do  as  well  as  the  seed-grown 
plants.  The  ancients  held  that  parsley  should  never 
be  sown  but  transplanted,  as  they  claimed  that  the 
seed  had  to  make  a  journey  to  Hades  before  it 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


could  again  appear  above  ground,  and,  indeed,  the 
tardiness  with  which  it  germinates  would  almost 
seem  to  bear  out  that  idea. 

The  ground  should  be  thoroughly  prepared  by 
spading  and  enriching,  and  the  seed  should  be  sown 
as  early  in  the  spring  as  the  ground  can  be  worked, 
as  after  the  ground  becomes  at  all  warm  or  dry, 
the  seed  will  not  germinate.  It  may  be  sown  broad- 
cast or  in  drills  a  foot  apart,  covering  the  seed 
about  half  an  inch  deep,  pressing  the  soil  down  firm- 
ly. When  the  plants  are  up,  thin  out  to  stand  six 
inches  apart  in  the  rows.  Keep  clear  of  weeds  and 
well  cultivated.  In  using  the  parsley,  the  leaves  are 
picked  and  the  crown  of  the  plant  left  undisturbed. 
If  allowed  to  go  to  seed  it  injures  the  plant  for 
garnishing,  but  a  few  plants  should  be  allowed  to 
seed,  as  it  propagates  itself  in  this  way  and  insures 
a  succession  of  young  and  tender  plants.  A  light 
covering  of  brush  or  evergreen  boughs  during  win- 
ter will  be  of  benefit.  A  few  plants  may  be  lifted 
and  wintered  in  a  light  window  of  the  cellar  or  in 
a  kitchen  window  and  will  furnish  leaves  for  gar- 
nishing throughout  the  winter. 

Dried  parsley  is  much  used  with  other  pot  herbs 
in  soups,  and  is  easily  prepared  by  picking  the 


PERENNIAL   VEGETABLES 

leaves  and  enclosing  them  in  paper  bags  and  hang- 
ing them  in  a  dry,  airy  place  to  dry.  Parsley  was 
much  esteemed  by  the  ancients,  who  believed  it  pre- 
vented intoxication  by  absorbing  the  fumes  of  wine. 
It  was  much  used,  therefore,  as  wreaths  and  chap- 
lets  at  their  feasts  and  drinking  bouts.  It  was  pars- 
ley which  Hercules  selected  for  his  first  garlands  of 
victory,  and  as  the  ancients  utilised  the  plants  in 
their  merrymaking  and  rejoicing,  so,  too,  it  was 
brought  into  use  in  their  funeral  decorations,  sprigs 
of  the  herb  being  strewn  over  their  dead. 


CHAPTER    FOURTEEN 
STORING   VEGETABLES   IN   WINTER 


V  EGETABLES,  which  have  been  grown  to  perfection 
during  the  summer  months  and  gathered  while  at 
their  best,  will  deteriorate  rapidly  unless  proper 
care  is  exercised  in  storing  them  away  for  the  win- 
ter. Many  of  the  methods  employed  by  market 
gardeners  and  on  farms  where  large  quantities  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  are  grown,  and  must  be  stored 
for  sale  at  a  time  when  they  will  bring  a  price  much 
in  advance  of  that  which  will  prevail  in  the  fall 
and  early  winter,  are  not  practicable  in  the  small 
home  garden. 

Any  dry,  frost-proof  cellar  will  keep  potatoes 
in  good  condition  providing  the  precaution  is  ob- 
served of  airing  the  cellar  regularly  and  persist- 
ently. The  most  common  mistake  in  storing  fruit 
and  vegetables  in  the  cellar  of  the  house  is  in  the 
direction  of  too  much  heat  and  too  little  air.  It  is 
rarely  that  the  cellar  windows  require  to  be  closed 


STORING  VEGETABLES  IN  WINTER 


before  December,  but  in  many  cases  they  will  be 
hermetically  sealed  at  the  approach  of  the  first  hard 
frost.  This  is  not  only  bad  for  the  contents  of  the 
cellar,  but  far  worse  for  the  people  who  dwell  above 
the  cellar.  Where  there  is  a  heating  plant  in  the 
cellar  it  is  essential  that  there  should  be  vegetable 
rooms  separate  from  that  devoted  to  furnace  or 
boiler,  and  where  this  does  not  exist,  an  end  of  the 
cellar,  at  least,  should  be  partitioned  off  for  the 
purpose,  though  it  may  be  but  by  a  rough  board 
partition;  this  as  well  as  anything  will  shut  out 
heat.  Such  a  room  should  include  one  or  more  of 
the  cellar  windows,  and  preferably  those  on  the 
sunny  side  of  the  house. 

For  the  storing  of  potatoes  there  is  no  better  ar- 
rangement than  bins  made  long  and  narrow  and 
with  partitions  through  the  centres,  making  com- 
partments which  will  hold  from  one  to  three  bush- 
els of  potatoes.  There  should  be  a  number  of  large 
auger  holes  in  the  bottom  of  each  and  the  bins 
should  be  elevated  on  some  sort  of  supports  to  a 
foot  or  more  from  the  floor.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  cold  falls  and  that  the  bottom  of  the 
cellar  is  much  the  coldest  part  of  it,  and  where 
there  is  danger  of  frost,  the  floor  of  the  cellar  is 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


the  very  poorest  place  in  which  to  place  anything 
that  is  to  be  kept  from  frost. 

Potatoes  should  be  dug  on  a  bright  day,  when 
the  soil  is  dry,  so  that  the  earth  will  shake  off  easily. 
Vegetables  should  never  be  washed  before  putting 
away  for  the  winter,  as  they  will  not  keep  as  well 
if  they  have  been  wet.  Potatoes  should  never  lie 
for  any  time  exposed  to  the  light,  as  this  will  cause 
them  to  turn  green,  and  when  they  are  placed  in 
the  cellar,  should  be  kept  covered  with  canvas,  car- 
pet, or  newspapers,  but  carpet  is  best. 

By  the  middle  of  winter  it  will  be  necessary  to 
look  the  potato  bins  over  carefully  and  to  remove 
any  tubers  which  may  have  begun  to  decay.  One 
decaying  tuber  will  produce  thousands  of  fungus 
spores,  which  will  contaminate  the  entire  contents 
of  the  bins  if  not  promptly  removed.  By  the  first 
of  March,  or  even  in  February,  the  potatoes  will 
have  begun  to  sprout;  especially  will  this  be  the 
case  if  the  cellar  is  too  warm  and  at  all  damp.  They 
must  then  be  gone  over  and  all  the  sprouts  rubbed 
off  by  hand. 

If  the  cellar  is  quite  dry,  a  portion  of  the  potato 
bins  may  be  reserved  for  the  onions,  which  require 
a  cool,  dry  place  to  be  kept  dormant  in.  No  great 


STORING  VEGETABLES  IN  WINTER 


amount  of  these  will  be  stored  for  the  winter  use 
of  a  small  family,  and  such  of  these  as  begin  growth 
before  being  used  may  be  planted  out  in  the  garden 
early  in  spring  and  will  soon  furnish  messes  of 
green  onions  for  the  table. 

Squashes  are  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  vege- 
tables to  keep,  as  they  are  very  susceptible  to  cold 
and  moisture  and  must  be  kept  warm  and  dry. 
An  upstair  room  or  garret  will  often  be  found  an 
excellent  place  of  storage.  A  room  where  a  chim- 
ney passes  through  will  often  furnish  sufficient 
heat,  and  if  the  squash  are  packed  in  barrels  of  dry 
leaves,  excelsior,  or  buckwheat  chaff,  they  will 
winter  all  right.  Or  they  may,  if  few,  be  simply 
piled  on  the  floor  near  the  chimney  and  covered 
well  with  rugs,  carpets,  or  something  warm,  and 
will  usually  come  through  all  right. 

Beets,  parsnips,  carrots,  and  turnips,  on  the  con- 
trary, need  to  be  kept  somewhat  moist,  and  should 
be  buried  in  damp  earth,  sand,  or  leaves.  If  one 
has  a  room  in  the  cellar  with  earth  walls  and  floors 
— what  is  known  as  a  Michigan  cellar — it  will  be 
an  ideal  place  for  these  vegetables,  and  they  may 
be  simply  piled  in  heaps  on  the  floor  and  sufficient 

earth  to  cover  thrown  over  them.  This  is  the  sim- 

[229] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


plest  form  of  winter  storage  for  these  vegetables. 
The  earth  is  right  at  hand  and  needs  neither  to  be 
carried  out  nor  brought  in.  In  storing  the  beets  and 
carrots,  I  usually  leave  the  tops  on  and  pile  one 
layer  on  the  floor,  the  tops  all  one  way,  and  place 
over  them  a  layer  of  earth,  then  another  layer  of 
vegetables  and  more  earth,  and  so  on,  until  the  lot 
is  covered.  The  presence  of  the  tops  make  un- 
covering the  roots  less  difficult,  and  I  think  helps 
to  retain  a  certain  amount  of  freshness  in  the 
vegetable.  Turnips  are  always  prepared  by  remov- 
ing all  but  about  an  inch  of  the  tops  and  piling 
the  earth  over  them.  Treated  in  this  way,  they  will 
all  keep  fresh  and  crisp  until  spring.  Slightly 
moistened  leaves  make  admirable  covering  for  vege- 
tables and  are  much  cleaner  than  soil  and  more 
easily  used. 

Celery  should  be  planted  in  boxes  of  damp  sand 
or  earth,  drawing  the  earth  up  about  the  stems,  as 
in  the  garden.  Stored  in  this  way,  at  a  temperature 
of  about  33°,  it  will  keep  fresh  and  crisp  for  a 
long  time  and  be  well  blanched.  Cauliflowers  which 
have  failed  to  mature  their  heads  in  the  fall  may 
be  taken  up  and  planted  in  shallow  boxes  of  soil 

in  the  lightest  part  of  the  cellar  and  watered  oc- 

[230] 


STORING  VEGETABLES  IN  WINTER 


casionally  and  will  then  mature  their  heads  and 
be  a  welcome  addition  to  the  winter  bill  of  fare. 

Dry  beans  should  be  stored  in  a  dry  place — an 
upstair  closet  or  cupboard — until  wanted.  They  are 
not  injured  by  freezing,  and  if  more  convenient, 
may  be  left  in  the  barn  till  wanted.  Salsify  may 
be  stored  in  damp  sand,  leaves,  or  soil,  and  a  win- 
ter's supply  of  parsnips  may  have  the  same  treat- 
ment, the  main  crop  being  left  in  the  ground  to  be 
dug  early  in  spring  ere  yet  they  have  started  to 
grow.  Light  is  not  necessary  to  plants  stored  in 
earth  in  the  cellar,  but  sufficient  air  should  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  cellar  to  prevent  any  musty  or  mouldy 
odours  or  taste  being  communicated  to  the  vege- 
tables. 

Where  the  cellar  affords  little  or  no  room  for 
storage,  enough  for  immediate  use  may  be  placed 
in  boxes  of  earth  or  sand  and  the  remainder  cached 
in  the  garden.  To  do  this,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
dig  a  shallow  pit  and  pile  the  vegetables  therein 
and  bank  earth  over  them.  Only  enough  to  cover 
them  completely  should  be  placed  at  first,  but 
more  should  be  added  at  the  approach  of  severe 
weather  and  the  whole  covered  with  boards  to  shed 
rain.  Placing  straw  over  the  vegetables  before  ad- 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


ding  the  dirt  makes  them  a  little  easier  to  unearth 
when  wanted,  but  does  not  make  them  keep  any 
better.  Of  course,  if  the  heap  is  a  large  one,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  provide  ventilation,  and  this  may 
be  done  by  placing  a  length  or  two  of  old  stove- 
pipe in  the  centre  of  the  heap  and  letting  one  end 
extend  outside,  where  it  should  be  masked  with 
enough  straw  to  shut  out  the  cold  but  not  to  im- 
pede ventilation.  Cabbages  are  very  successfully 
kept  by  storing  heads  downward  in  a  trench  in 
which  straw  has  been  placed  for  a  few  inches  in  the 
bottom  and  covered  up  with  earth  above  the  tips 
of  the  roots  and  the  ridge  covered  with  boards  to 
shed  rain.  A  hotbed  makes  a  very  good  place  for 
storing  cabbage,  as  it  can  be  gotten  into  readily 
at  any  time  during  the  winter.  The  earth  should 
be  removed  as  for  fitting  the  bed  in  the  spring;  a 
layer  of  clean  straw  placed  down  on  the  bottom. 
The  cabbages  which  have  been  pulled — not  cut — 
are  placed  head  down  on  this  and  the  heads  covered 
with  earth ;  the  remainder  of  the  pit  should  be  filled 
with  straw  or  leaves  to  keep  out  the  cold  and  the 
sash  placed  in  position.  Stored  in  this  way,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  reach  down  into  the  litter  and 
pull  out  a  head  as  wanted. 


CHAPTER    FIFTEEN 
THE    GARDEN    S    ENEMIES 

1  HE  price  of  a  good  garden  and  orchard  is  a 
never-ceasing  warfare  on  insect  pests  and  plant- 
diseases. 

But  some  will  say,  "  What's  the  use  of  my  keep- 
ing up  the  fight  when  my  neighbour  next  door 
doesn't  do  anything,  and  insects  and  diseases  of 
all  kinds  breed  on  his  premises  and  then  come  over 
to  mine?  " 

It  is  true  that  the  work  is  made  much  more  diffi- 
cult without  the  co-operation  of  your  neighbours, 
as  it  will  have  to  be  done  continually  and  without 
much  real  satisfaction,  but  my  advice  is  to  keep 
up  your  efforts.  Your  neighbour  may  come  to  see 
his  folly,  but  if  he  doesn't,  laws  will  soon  be  en- 
acted, I  believe,  compelling  owners  to  spray  and 
care  for  infected  trees  and  shrubs. 

Spraying  merely  frees  us  for  the  time  being;  it 
does  not  eradicate  the  pests  entirely.  If  it  did,  we 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


shouldn't  have  any  pests,  because,  no  matter  how 
much  behind  the  times  a  person  might  be,  he  would 
make  one  supreme  effort,  and  spray,  to  rid  his 
garden  of  bugs  and  disease.  We  must  spray  con- 
tinually, and  all  our  efforts  will  only  keep  the  in- 
sects in  check.  This  can  be  accomplished  best  by 
killing  as  many  of  the  bugs  as  possible  before  they 
breed. 

The  various  pests  may  be  expected  to  appear 
about  as  follows: 

APRIL. — Aphis  or  green  plant-lice  and  aspara- 
gus beetle.  ,  i 

MAY. — Aphis,  Colorado  potato  beetle,  flea- 
beetle,  cut-worms. 

JUNE. — Cabbage  worms,  Harlequin  or  fire-bug, 
root  maggot  on  cabbage  and  cauliflower,  club  root, 
corn  ear-worm,  striped  beetle  on  cucumbers,  mel- 
ons, and  squashes,  onion  maggot,  thrips. 

JULY. — Bean  anthracnose,  celery  rust,  squash 
bug,  melon  blight  and  mildew,  tomato  fruit 
worm.  ,;.,„* 

AUGUST. — Asparagus  rust,  celery  caterpillar, 
mildew  on  peas,  potato  blight,  potato  scab,  squash 
borer. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  more  common  vege- 


THE    GARDEN'S    ENEMIES 


tables  and  the  insects  and  plant  diseases  attacking 
them,  with  remedies  or  preventives: 

ASPARAGUS. — Beetles. — Keep  beds  closely  cut  in 
spring  and  protect  the  stalks  with  poison,  prefer- 
ably arsenate  of  lead.  ,- 

Rust. — Spray  thoroughly  a  few  times  in  July 
and  August  with  diluted  Bordeaux.  Set  plants  on 
good  land,  and  keep  them  in  vigorous  condition. 

BEAN. — Anihracnose. — Spray  with  Bordeaux 
mixture  when  the  first  true  leaf  appears,  making 
a  second  and  third  application  when  it  is  neces- 
sary to  keep  the  foliage  covered. 

Bean  Beetle. — Kill  grubs  on  under  side  of  leaves 
with  kerosene  emulsion  (1  to  8)  or  spray  with 
arsenate  of  lead. 

Bean  Weevil. — Fumigate  beans  for  twenty-four 
hours  in  a  tight  vessel,  using  one  tablespoonful  of 
carbon  bisulphide  to  the  bushel. 

Flea  Beetles. — Spray  with  poisoned  Bordeaux 
mixture. 

BEET. — Leaf  Spot. — Spray  with  Bordeaux  mix- 
ture when  four  or  five  leaves  have  expanded,  and 
repeat  two  or  three  times  at  intervals  of  ten  to  four- 
teen days. 

Cut-worms. — Use  poisoned  baits,   and  prevent 
[235  ] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


attack  by  early  fall  ploughing,  harrowing,  or 
disking. 

CABBAGE  AND  CAULIFLOWER. — Aphis. — Spray 
with  kerosene  emulsion,  or  a  whale-oil-soap  solu- 
tion, when  numerous,  and  repeat  if  necessary. 

Cabbage  Worm. — Spray  with  a  poisoned  resin- 
lime  mixture,  if  plants  have  not  headed;  otherwise 
use  hellebore  or  kerosene  emulsion. 

Club  Root. — Large  clubs  or  knobs  on  roots. 
Dig  up  and  destroy  all  infested  plants,  and  give 
soil  a  heavy  dressing  of  lime.  Never  plant  either 
of  these  vegetables  on  land  known  to  be  infected. 

Cut-worms. — Protect  stems  with  bands  of  paper 
or  use  poisoned  bait. 

Harlequin  Cabbage  Bug. — Sow  mustard  early 
as  a  catch  crop  and  destroy  the  bugs  thereon  with 
kerosene,  or  resort  to  hand-picking. 

Root  Maggot. — Protect  plants  with  paper  col- 
lars, or  wet  the  surrounding  soil  with  emulsion  com- 
posed of  one  pound  of  soap,  one  gallon  of  boiling 
water,  and  one  pint  of  crude  carbolic  acid  diluted 
with  thirty  parts  of  water. 

CELERY. — Blight. — Make  fortnightly  applica- 
tions of  Bordeaux  mixture  until  plants  are  one- 
half  or  two-thirds  grown,  then  use  an  ammoniacal 

[236] 


THE    GARDEN'S    ENEMIES 


copper  carbonate  solution  every  ten  to  fifteen  days, 
if  the  weather  is  rainy. 

Celery  Worm. — A  pea-green  worm  with  blacK 
bands.  Hand-pick  and  spray  with  Paris  green  or 
arsenate  of  lead. 

COEN. — Earvcorm. — A  small  worm  which  eats 
out  the  tip  of  the  ear.  Poison  them  by  dropping 
dry  Paris  green  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  when 
plants  are  young.  Plough  deeply  in  fall  and  leave 
the  land  rough,  so  that  frost  can  work  through  it 
thoroughly. 

CUCUMBER.  —  Aphis.  —  Spray  with  kerosene 
emulsion  or  whale-oil  soap  as  soon  as  they  are  no- 
ticed. 

Striped  Beetle. — A  small  black-  and  white- 
striped  beetle  which  is  very  active.  Protect  plants 
when  young  by  screens,  and  dust  them  when  wet 
with  dew  with  ashes  or  lime.  Spray  with  Bordeaux 
mixture  containing  arsenate  of  lead  every  two 
weeks  to  keep  foliage  well  covered. 

Squash  Bug. — A  dark-brown  beetle  which  sucks 
the  plant's  juices.  Hand-pick  and  destroy  any  eggs 
found  on  leaves.  In  the  fall  put  down  small  boards 
or  shingles,  under  which  bugs  will  collect  at  night ; 
gather  and  destroy. 

[237] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


Blight  or  Mildew. — Leaves  become  spotted  or 
covered  with  down.  Spray  every  two  weeks  with 
Bordeaux  mixture. 

ONION.  —  Blight.  —  Spray  with  two  -  thirds 
strength  Bordeaux  mixture  at  ten-day  intervals. 

Maggot. — Wet  the  surrounding  soil  with  car- 
bolic-soap wash,  or  remove  the  soil  about  the  plants 
in  the  morning,  replacing  at  night,  so  as  to  allow 
some  drying  of  soil  about  the  maggots. 

PEA. — Aphis. — Spray  with  kerosene  emulsion, 
or  a  whale-oil-soap  solution,  when  it  is  necessary. 

Weevil. — Same  as  for  bean  weevil. 

Mildew. — White  growth  on  stems  and  leaves. 
Spray  with  Bordeaux  mixture  containing  resin 
wash  to  make  it  stick. 

POTATO. — Colorado  Beetle. — Spray  with  Paris 
green  or  arsenate  of  lead  every  two  weeks.  To  save 
time,  add  the  poison  to  Bordeaux  mixture  when 
spraying  for  blight. 

Flea  Beetle. — Keep  plants  well  covered  with 
Bordeaux  mixture. 

Blight. — Spray  every  two  weeks  with  Bordeaux 
mixture. 

Scab. — Soak   uncut    tubers    one    and    one-half 

hours  in  a  solution  of  y2  ounce  of  corrosive  subli- 

[238] 


THE    GARDEN'S    ENEMIES 

mate  to  8  gallons  of  water,  or  for  two  hours  in  a 
solution  of  one  pint  of  formaldehyde  to  15  gallons 
of  water. 

SQUASH. — Squash  Borer. — Slit  infested  stem, 
and  destroy  the  borer,  covering  the  injured  part 
with  earth.  Employ  early  trap  vines. 

Squash  Bug. — Trap  bugs  under  shingles  laid 
about  vines,  destroying  them  every  morning,  and 
crush  egg  clusters.  See,  also,  Cucumber. 

SWEET  POTATO. — Black  Rot. — Select  clean 
tubers,  roll  in  sulphur,  and,  if  possible,  plant  in  soil 
free  from  infection. 

Flea  Beetles,  Tortoise  Beetles.  —  Dip  young 
plants  in  arsenate  of  lead  mixture,  and  spray  ten 
days  later,  if  necessary. 

TOMATO. — Leaf  Blight. — Spray  with  Bordeaux 
mixture  at  seven-  to  ten-day  intervals. 

Flea  Beetle. — Spray  with  poisoned  Bordeaux 
mixture  as  needed. 

Rot. — Treatment  same  as  for  leaf  blight,  though 
usually  unsatisfactory. 

Tomato  Worm.  —  Hand-picking;  spray  with 
poison. 

OTHER  VEGETABLES. — Cut-worms. — Protect  base 
of  plant  stems  with  strips  of  paper  reaching  just 

[239] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

below  the  surface.  Use  poisoned  bait,  or  dig  out 
and  destroy. 

POISON    FORMULAS 

Many  .of  the  remedies  advocated  may  be  secured 
ready-made  at  the  seed  stores  for  use  in  the  small 
garden.  These  ready-made  mixtures  are  much 
more  convenient  for  the  amateur  than  the  mixing 
of  them  from  the  raw  materials.  It  is  often  neces- 
sary, however,  to  use  considerable  quantities  and 
special  combinations. 

Combined  Insecticides  and  Fungicides 

POISONED  BORDEAUX. — Mix  4  ounces  of  'Paris 
green,  or  1  pound  of  arsenate  of  lead  with  50  gal- 
lons of  Bordeaux  mixture  (see  formula  under 
Fungicides).  This  is  the  standard  remedy  for  leaf- 
eating  insects  and  fungous  diseases. 

Insecticides 

PARIS  GREEN. — Use  1  pound,  with  an  equal 
weight  of  thoroughly  slaked  lime,  in  100  to  300 
gallons  of  water.  Keep  well  stirred  while  spraying. 

ARSENATE  OF  LEAD. — Use  the  prepared  paste 
form,  at  the  rate  of  about  1  pound  to  50  gallons  of 


THE    GARDEN'S    ENEMIES 


water,  or  it  may  be  made  by  dissolving  11  ounces  of 
acetate  of  lead  (sugar  of  lead)  in  4  quarts  of  water, 
in  a  wooden  pail,  and  4  ounces  of  arsenate  of  soda 
(50  per  cent  purity)  in  2  quarts  of  water  in  an- 
other wooden  pail.  The  process  can  be  hastened  by 
using  warm  water.  Pour  the  solutions  in  from  25 
to  50  gallons  of  water,  mix,  and  the  insecticide  is 
ready  for  use. 

ADHESIVE  POISON. — Put  1  pint  of  fish  oil,  or 
any  cheap  animal  oil  except  tallow,  5  pounds  of 
resin,  and  1  gallon  of  water  in  an  iron  kettle,  and 
heat  till  the  resin  is  softened,  then  add  1  pound  of 
concentrated  lye,  in  solution  made  as  for  hard  soap ; 
stir  thoroughly,  add  4  gallons  of  water,  and  boil 
about  two  hours,  or  until  the  mixture  unites  with 
cold  water,  making  a  clear  amber-coloured  liquid, 
and  dilute  to  5  gallons.  Mix  1  gallon  of  this  solu- 
tion with  16  of  water  and  three  gallons  of  milk  of 
lime,  or  thin  whitewash;  add  thereto  *4  pound  of 
Paris  green  or  other  arsenical  poison.  Recom- 
mended for  spraying  cabbage  and  other  crops 
that  have  foliage  to  which  it  is  difficult  to  make  the 
insecticide  adhere. 

POISONED  BAITS. — Dip  fresh  clover,  lettuce,  or 

other  attractive  leaves  in  strongly  poisoned  water 

[241] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


and  distribute  in  infested  localities.  Twenty  pounds 
dry  middlings  and  1  pound  of  Paris  green,  well 
mixed,  is  an  attractive  bait.  A  mash  composed  of 

1  pound  of  Paris  green  to  50  pounds  of  bran,  and 
sweetened  with  cheap  sugar  or  molasses,  is  very 
attractive  to  grasshoppers.  Paris  green  1  part,  salt 

2  parts,  and  horse  droppings    (preferably  fresh) 
35  to  40  parts  by  measure,  thoroughly  mixed  with 
enough  water  to  make  a  soft  though  not  sloppy 
paste,  is  a  valuable  grasshopper  poison. 

KEROSENE  EMULSION. — Dissolve  %  pound  of 
soap  in  1  gallon  of  boiling  water,  add  2  gallons 
of  kerosene,  and  force  through  a  pump  repeatedly 
for  five  to  ten  minutes;  dilute  four  to  twenty-five 
times  before  applying.  In  lime  regions,  where  the 
water  is  hard,  use  a  sour-milk  emulsion,  made  by 
thoroughly  mixing  2  gallons  of  kerosene  and  1  gal- 
lon of  milk,  as  described  above. 

WHALE-OIL-SOAP  SOLUTION. — Apply  at  the  rate 
of  1%  to  2  pounds  to  a  gallon  of  water  in  the  win- 
ter, and  for  summer  use  employ  at  least  4  gallons 
of  water  to  each  pound  of  soap. 

IVORY-SOAP  SOLUTION.  —  Dissolve  a  five-cent 
cake  in  8  gallons  of  water.  Good  for  house  plants. 

HELLEBORE. — Mix  thoroughly  1  ounce  of  fresh 


THE    GARDEN'S    ENEMIES 


white  hellebore  with  8  gallons  of  water.  Use  on 
fruits. 

TOBACCO  DUST. — This  waste  from  tobacco  fac- 
tories may  be  used  freely  in  trenches  around  trees 
with  roots  infested  with  aphids. 

CARBOLIC-SOAP  WASH. — Thin  1  gallon  of  soft 
soap  with  an  equal  amount  of  hot  water,  and  stir 
in  1  pint  of  crude  carbolic  acid  (%  pint  refined) 
and  allow  this  to  set  over  night,  then  dilute  with 
8  gallons  of  water.  Or  dissolve  1  gallon  of  soft  soap 
in  6  gallons  of  a  saturated  solution  of  washing  soda. 
Add  1  pint  of  crude  carbolic  acid  and  mix  thor- 
oughly. Slake  enough  lime  in  4  gallons  of  water 
so  that  a  thick  whitewash  will  result,  then  add  % 
pound  of  Paris  green  and  mix  the  whole  together. 
Recommended  for  borers. 

Fungicides 

NORMAL  OR  1.6  PER  CENT  BORDEAUX  MIX- 
TURE.— Dissolve  6  pounds  of  copper  sulphate,  by 
hanging  it  in  a  bag  of  coarse  cloth  in  an  earthen 
or  wooden  vessel  containing  4  to  6  gallons  of  water, 
and  then  dilute  with  25  gallons.  Slake  4  pounds 
of  lime  diluting  to  25  gallons  and  mix  by  pouring 

the  two  solutions  into  a  third  vessel. 

[243] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


The  amount  of  copper  sulphate  should  be  re- 
duced to  4  pounds  for  peaches  and  Japanese  plums, 
and  some  have  used  but  2  pounds  each  of  copper 
sulphate  and  lime  to  50  gallons,  with  excellent  re- 
sults. Employ  the  weaker  formula  whenever  the 
normal  proves  too  strong. 

AMMONIACAL  COPPER  CARBONATE. — Make  a 
paste  of  5  ounces  of  copper  carbonate  with  a  little 
water,  and  dilute  3  pints  of  ammonia  (26  Beaume) 
with  7  or  8  volumes  of  water.  Add  the  paste  to  the 
diluted  ammonia,  stirring  till  dissolved,  and  add 
enough  water  to  make  45  gallons.  Allow  it  to  settle 
and  use  only  the  clear  blue  liquid.  This  mixture 
loses  strength  on  standing. 

POTASSIUM-SULPHIDE  SOLUTION. — Dissolve  % 
to  1  ounce  of  potassium  sulphide  (liver  of  sulphur) 
to  1  gallon  of  water. 

COPPER-SULPHATE  SOLUTION. — Dissolve  1  pound 
of  copper  sulphate  (blue  vitriol)  in  15  to  25  gal- 
lons of  water.  Never  apply  this  to  the  foliage.  Use 
only  before  the  buds  break.  For  peaches  and  nec- 
tarines, dilute  with  25  gallons  of  water. 

FORMALIN. — Dilute  1  pound  (1  pint)  with  50 
gallons  of  water,  sprinkle  on  grain,  stirring  thor- 
oughly and  leave  in  piles  for  several  hours  for  grain 


THE    GARDEN'S    ENEMIES 


smut.  Use  1  pound  to  30  gallons  of  water  and  soak 
seed  potatoes  therein  for  about  2  hours,  for  potato 
scab. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  apparatus  for  spray- 
ing, such  as  power-sprayers,  barrel-pumps,  bucket- 
sprayers,  and  hand-sprayers,  and  they  usually  come 
fitted  with  proper  nozzles.  Where  the  work  must 
be  done  by  one  person,  the  air-pressure  sprayers 
are  the  best,  as  the  machine  can  be  charged,  and 
all  attention  can  be  directed  to  the  spraying.  The 
5 -gallon  size  is  best  for  the  small  garden. 

Another  very  good  sprayer  for  the  amateur  with 
a  small  garden  is  a  bucket  spray-pump.  These  are 
the  cheapest  pumps  on  the  market.  Some  sell  for 
as  low  as  two  dollars,  but  I  wouldn't  advise  any 
one's  buying  the  cheapest.  Pay  from  four  to  five 
dollars,  and  get  a  good  one,  with  all  the  working 
parts  of  brass,  which,  with  good  care,  will  last  a 
number  of  years.  This  style  of  sprayer  comes  with 
a  short  hose,  which  is  convenient  for  spraying  low 
shrubs  and  vegetables;  but,  if  you  have  a  few  trees 
to  spray,  it  will  be  necessary  to  buy  an  extra 
twenty-five  feet  of  hose.  To  spray  the  tops  of  them, 
tie  the  nozzle  on  the  end  of  a  rake  handle,  and 

stand  on  a  step-ladder  to  reach  the  highest  parts. 

[245] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


For  this  work  you  will  need  two  persons — one  to 
pump  and  the  other  to  direct  the  spray. 

Another  form  of  spray-pump  is  the  knapsack- 
sprayer.  The  idea  of  it  is  very  good,  but  they  are 
never  tight,  and  the  motion  of  walking  slops  the 
liquid  over  the  one  doing  the  work.  When  using 
one  of  these,  it  is  necessary  to  wear  a  rubber  coat. 

If  you  are  on  friendly  terms  with  your  neigh- 
bours, and  your  garden  and  grounds  are  not  large 
enough  to  warrant  your  investing  in  a  sprayer  by 
yourself,  why  not  buy  a  good  barrel-sprayer  on 
shares?  This  will  necessitate  your  giving  each  other 
a  hand  in  the  spraying,  but  the  work  can  be  done 
in  much  less  time,  and  more  effectively. 

No  matter  what  kind  of  a  sprayer  ypu  have, 
always  clean  it  thoroughly  after  using  it,  as  some 
of  the  chemicals  used  in  spraying,  if  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  pump,  will  destroy  it  in  a  short  time. 


CHAPTER    SIXTEEN 
FALL   WORK   IN   THE   GARDEN 


F  ALL  work  practically  closes  the  year's  work  in 
the  garden,  while,  at  the  same  time,  it  may  be  said 
to  be  introductory  and  initiative  to  the  beginning 
of  another  season's  work,  as  it  clears  the  way  for 
the  first  operations  of  the  spring,  and,  if  thorough- 
ly done,  simplifies  it  in  a  marked  degree. 

The  first  thing  in  order  will  be  to  clear  away  all 
rubbish  that  may  have  accumulated  during  the 
summer,  and  pile  it  on  the  compost  heap,  or  if  it  is 
of  a  character  not  likely  to  be  infested  with  the 
larvi  of  insects,  to  use  it  as  a  winter  mulch  about 
the  trunks  of  fruit  trees,  about  the  rhubarb  rows, 
or  as  a  winter  protection  for  the  asparagus  bed. 
If,  however,  the  rubbish  be  in  the  nature  of  weeds, 
in  which  seeds  exist,  the  best  course  will  be  to  rake 
it  into  a  light,  dry  pile  and  burn  it.  The  resulting 
ashes  will  be  of  benefit  to  the  garden. 

The  presence  of  sod  along  fence  rows  and  about 
[247] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


the  roots  of  trees  is  objectionable,  and  the  fall  is 
a  good  time  to  get  rid  of  it,  as  after  the  fall  rains 
have  thoroughly  soaked  the  ground,  it  is  easily 
lifted  and  may  be  used  to  protect  the  beds  of  tea- 
roses,  wrapping  a  chunk  of  sod — grass-side  out — 
about  the  roots  of  each  plant,  forming  a  cone,  and 
securing  it  with  a  stout  piece  of  binder  twine  if 
necessary.  Or  it  may  be  piled  in  a  heap,  with  alter- 
nating layers  of  cow  manure,  and  left  to  decay 
until  spring,  when  it  may  be  used  to  enrich  the 
rose  or  peony  beds  or  other  plants  requiring  fer- 
tilising. Again,  it  may  be  left  where  dug,  simply 
turning  it  grass-side  down  about  the  trees  or  vines 
from  which  it  was  removed,  until  spring,  when,  if 
sufficiently  decayed,  it  may  be  worked  into  the 
soil. 

The  fall  is  a  good  time  in  which  to  prepare  for 
a  very  early  crop  of  peas  by  trenching  the  ground 
where  they  are  to  be  planted,  filling  in  a  generous 
quantity  of  well-rotted  manure  and  placing  the 
necessary  amount  of  earth  above  this  to  receive  the 
seed,  leaving  that  portion  which  will  be  placed  over 
the  seed  in  a  ridge  along  the  trenches.  The  action 
of  the  frost  will  keep  it  loose  and  mellow,  and  as 
soon  as  the  ground  has  dried  sufficiently  in  the 

[248] 


FALL    WORK    IN    THE    GARDEN 


spring  the  seed  may  be  gotten  into  the  ground 
with  the  least  possible  delay  and  labour. 

It  is  possible  that  at  this  season  there  will  remain 
a  number  of  cabbage  and  cauliflower  plants,  espe- 
cially the  latter,  which  have  failed  to  make  heads. 
These  may  be  lifted  and  planted  in  coldframes, 
or  even  protected  where  they  are  by  banking  the 
earth  about  the  stems  and  protecting  the  tops  with 
straw,  and  used  for  very  early  planting  in  the 
spring.  Or  if  a  few  rough  boards  can  be  run  along 
one  side  of  them  where  they  stand  to  form  a  shel- 
ter from  the  west  wind  and  a  little  litter  of  corn 
fodder  thrown  over  them  to  form  a  shed,  they  will 
usually  come  through  all  right. 

If  a  similar  protection  is  given  the  parsley  bed, 
using  evergreen  boughs,  if  procurable,  for  the 
shelter  on  the  leaward  side,  parsley  can  usually  be 
had  all  winter. 

Every  effort  should  be  made  at  this  season  to 
get  rid  of  all  insect  pests  which  hibernate  in  any 
form;  a  few  hours  spent  in  this  work  will  be  well 
repaid.  The  cut-worm,  which  is  the  first  pest  to  ap- 
pear and  cause  trouble  in  the  spring,  hibernates 
in  the  worm  form  usually  and  may  be  discovered 
along  the  edges  of  the  sod  land  under  boards  and 

[249] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


other  rubbish  which  lie  close  to  the  ground ;  he  does 
not  go  far  in  the  earth  at  this  time  of  year,  and  a 
light  scraping  of  the  surface  of  the  ground  will 
unearth  him  in  numbers ;  wherever  found,  he  should 
be  killed  at  once.  Most  of  the  borers  change  into 
smooth,  brown  chrysalids  in  the  fall,  and  are  found 
in  the  ground  not  far  from  the  surface.  Fall 
ploughing  and  spading  is  of  much  benefit,  as  it  de- 
stroys considerable  numbers  of  these  pests.  The 
cabbage  butterfly  lays  its  eggs  and  hatches  out 
the  succulent  green  worm,  which,  arriving  at  an 
adult  stage,  spins  itself  a  silken  chrysalid  which  is 
transmitted  into  a  hard,  paper-like  shell,  which  will 
be  found  attached  to  the  underside  of  the  window 
sills,  house  siding,  and  other  favourable  places,  the 
worms  sometimes  travelling  considerable  distances 
to  find  favourable  winter  quarters,  the  shelter  they 
require  being  of  the  slightest,  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
of  projecting  wood  seeming  to  meet  all  require- 
ments. 

The  tomato  worm  enters  the  ground  to  a  con- 
siderable depth  before  changing  into  the  large 
brown  chrysalid,  with  its  curious-shaped  handle, 
which  is  the  case  for  its  equally  curious  tongue.  In 

studying  these  worms  at  close  range,  it  was  always 

[250] 


FALL    WORK    IN    THE    GARDEN 


one  of  the  difficulties  in  their  rearing  to  give  them 
boxes  of  earth  of  sufficient  depth  to  induce  them 
to  change  at  the  right  time.  They  would  enter  the 
earth  and  penetrate  to  the  bottom  and  return  again 
and  again  to  the  surface,  each  time  more  irritable 
and  uneasy,  until  finally  Nature  proved  too  much 
for  them  and  they  were  compelled  to  accept  condi- 
tions as  they  found  them.  It  is  a  very  fascinating 
study — this  of  the  moths  and  butterflies — when 
one  can  watch  them  through  the  four  changes — 
winged  creature,  infinitesimal  egg,  the  curious, 
often  beautiful,  worm,  and  its  still  more  curious 
shell  and  cradle  through  which  it  braves  the  storm 
of  winter  as  it  waits  for  the  resurrection  of  the 
spring.  The  worms  lose  much  of  their  repulsive- 
ness  when  studied  at  close  range,  and  in  captivity 
soon  come  to  know  one  and  to  show  none  of  the 
signs  of  irritation  displayed  by  the  wild  worms,  or 
the  tame  ones  in  the  presence  of  strangers. 

Many  gardeners  make  a  practice  of  hauling 
manure  to  the  garden  in  the  fall,  that  it  may 
leach  into  the  soil  during  the  winter  and  be  ready 
to  turn  under  in  the  spring;  this  is  of  doubtful 
value,  as  much  of  the  substance  of  the  manure  is 

lost.  A  better  plan  would  be  to  pile  the  manure 

[251] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


under  shelter,  where  it  would  be  protected  from 
the  action  of  the  elements,  and  to  fork  it  over  often 
during  the  winter  to  prevent  heating,  and  then  to 
draw  it  on  the  land  early  in  spring  while  yet  the 
ground  is  frozen  enough  to  get  on  to  it  easily.  In 
a  small  garden  plot  it  is  seldom,  if  ever,  necessary 
to  use  much  rough  manure,  and  it  will  be  well  to 
fork  out  all  the  cornstalks  and  coarse  material  and 
pile  them  in  a  heap  to  burn,  or  better  compost 
them,  as  they  are  nothing  but  a  nuisance  in  a 
garden. 

In  February  the  wood  ashes  which  may  have  ac- 
cumulated during  winter  may  be  spread  on  the 
asparagus  beds  and  along  the  rhubarb  rows,  and, 
if  there  are  enough,  about  the  fruit  trees  and  berry 
bushes. 

If  one  has  a  few  choice  fruit  trees  it  will  be  time 
well  spent  to  give  them  a  coat  of  whitewash  at  the 
approach  of  severe  weather  and  again  at  intervals 
during  the  winter,  making  at  least  three  applica- 
tions, the  last  to  precede  the  cold  waves  of  Feb- 
ruary and  March,  according  to  locality.  This  will 
protect  the  trees  by  preventing  the  absorption  of 
sun  heat  and  enable  them  to  withstand  the  rigours 
of  the  winter. 


FALL    WORK    IN    THE    GARDEN 


A  heavy  mulch  about  the  roots  of  the  fruit  trees 
in  any  section  where  there  is  a  light  or  no  snow- 
fall will  be  of  the  greatest  benefit. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  place  the  manure  directly 
on  the  ground  in  the  fall  or  early  winter  under  the 
trees;  it  is  also  an  excellent  time  to  secure  it  and 
so  have  it  in  readiness  for  early  spring  use,  and  if 
there  is  no  convenient  place  in  which  to  store  it, 
it  may  still  be  engaged  and  its  time  of  delivery 
fixed,  always  remembering  that  old  manure  is  what 
is  wanted  and  that  that  will  be  found  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  pile,  and  it  should  be  clearly  stipulated 
that  this  is  what  is  to  be  delivered. 

If  any  seeds  have  been  saved  from  the  garden, 
these  should  be  sorted  out  and  stored  in  properly 
labelled  bags  or  boxes  against  the  time  they  will 
be  wanted  in  the  spring.  In  addition  to  the  label 
the  packets  should  always  bear  the  date  of  their 
saving,  as  seeds  are  often  carried  over  from  year 
to  year,  and,  not  being  dated,  quite  old  seeds,  unfit 
for  planting,  often  comes  to  be  used  much  to  the 
hindrance  and  loss  of  the  gardener.  While  seeds 
are  little  affected  by  frost,  I  prefer  to  store  them 
in  a  dry,  frost-proof  place  if  possible,  and  it  is  espe- 
cially important  that  they  be  kept  out  of  the  reach 

[253] 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 

of  mice,  which  much  enjoy  a  banquet  of  melon, 
squash,  or  pumpkin  seeds  and  do  not  disdain  less 
succulent  morsels. 

The  long  winter  evenings  and  any  stormy  days 
which  find  one  at  leisure  may  profitably  be  spent 
in  getting  ready  for  spring  work,  by  putting  all 
the  tools  in  first-class  order,  painting  them  when 
necessary,  oiling  and  sharpening  them  to  a  work- 
ing edge.  Racks  for  tomatoes  may  be  manufac- 
tured quickly  and  cheaply  by  using  three  or  four 
stakes  with  pointed  ends  and  a  couple  of  iron  or 
wooden  barrel  hoops.  These  are  nailed  to  the  top 
of  the  stakes  and  to  a  point  nine  or  ten  inches  be- 
low and  are  set  over  the  plants  as  soon  as  they 
begin  to  make  growth.  Boxes  for  covering  the 
melon  hills  may  also  be  prepared  and  the  frame 
for  the  hotbeds,  if  one  is  not  already  supplied  with 
that  convenience.  Stakes  for  marking  rows  of  vege- 
tables will  be  little  work  to  prepare  and  will  save 
time  in  the  hurry  of  planting. 

Many  of  the  racks  and  trellises  used  about  the 
garden  during  the  summer  will  serve  for  another 
season  if  taken  up  and  stored  in  a  dry  place  over 
winter;  especially  will  this  be  the  case  if  any  metal 

or  wire  parts  are  concerned.   Fences  and  walks 

[254] 


FALL    WORK    IN    THE    GARDEN 


should  be  given  attention  and  put  in  condition  to 
stand  the  weather.  Gates  are  prone  to  sag  on  the 
hinges  and  posts  to  work  loose  under  the  force  of 
a  winter's  gale,  and  an  hour's  work  in  this  portion 
of  the  yard  may  save  a  day's  work  during  the  busy 
time  of  spring. 

And  last,  but  not  least,  it  will  be  a  good  plan  to 
make  a  brief  but  orderly  record  of  the  season's 
work,  noting  down  all  failures  and  their  cause, 
recording  all  new  information  which  has  been 
gained,  such  as  the  amount  of  time  it  requires  for 
the  various  seeds  to  germinate,  the  length  of  time 
it  takes  for  the  different  vegetables  to  come  into 
bearing,  the  proportion  of  seed  which  germinated, 
the  causes,  as  far  as  known,  for  any  seed  to  fail  to 
grow,  the  quality  of  the  several  varieties  of  vege- 
tables, and  any  data  as  to  better  varieties  grown  in 
a  neighbour's  or  market  gardener's  grounds. 

All  this  data  will  be  of  value  in  starting  the 
next  season's  garden,  and  will  be  always  available 
and  reliable,  which  is  seldom  the  case  where  the 
memory  alone  takes  charge  of  these  items. 

The  record  may  also  give  account  of  the  expendi- 
tures and  receipts,  though,  as  far  as  this  goes,  it 
is  sometimes  more  comfortable  not  to  look  too 


OF 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


THE    VEGETABLE    GARDEN 


closely  into  the  details  when  gardening  for  pleasure 
or  for  the  privilege  of  eating  one's  own  vegetables. 
One  must  sacrifice  something  in  learning  to  gar- 
den, just  as  the  young  housewife  sacrifices  her 
eggs  and  butter  and  flour  in  learning  to  cook;  it 
is  the  resultant  knowledge,  after  all,  which  counts, 
and  if  the  work  is  done  in  one's  spare  time,  with 
little  labour  hired,  the  balance  cannot  be  far  on 
the  wrong  side. 


[256] 


INDEX 


Ammoniacal  copper  carbonate,  244. 

Anthracnose,  234,  235. 

Aphis,  234,  237. 

Arsenate  of  lead,  240. 

Artichoke,  70. 

Ashes,  46. 

Asparagus,  23,  206,  235. 

beetle,  234. 

cooking,  212. 

forcing,  210. 

Bait,  poisoned,  95,  241. 
Bean,  23,  26,  104,  231,  235. 
Beans,  lima,  105. 

recipe  for  cooking,  107. 
Beetle,  asparagus,  234,  235. 

bean,  235. 

flea,  234,  235,  239. 

potato,  234,  238. 

striped,  180,  237. 
Beets,  23,  50,  78,  142,  235. 

cooking,  143. 
Berries,  28. 
Blight,  celery,  236. 

cucumber,  238. 

melon,  234. 

potato,  234. 
Bone,  38. 

Bordeaux  mixture,  235,  240,  243. 
Borer,  234,  239,  250. 

Cabbage,  10,  14,  15,  23,  27,  50,  65, 
70,  78,  85,  95,  109,  232,  234, 
236,  249. 
recipe  for  cooking,  111. 


Cabbage,  to  prevent  cracking,  110. 

worm,  234,  250. 
Carbolic  soap  wash,  243. 
Carbon  bisulphide,  235. 
Carrots,  10,  23,  145,  229. 

cooking,  147. 

Cauliflower,  10, 14, 23, 27, 65, 70, 95, 
113,  236,  249. 

cooking,  116. 

Celery,  15,  50,  230,  236,  237. 
Club  root,  234,  236. 
Coldframe,  48,  53,  70,  249. 
Compost  heap,  247. 
Concrete,  59. 
Copper  carbonate,  ammoniacal,  244. 

sulphate  solution,  244. 
Corn,  8,  10,  23,  78,  118,  237. 

cooking,  121. 

ear-worm,  234,  237. 

salad,  26,  196. 
Cress,  serving,  195. 

upland,  195. 

water,  195. 

Cucumber,  5,  24, 25, 26,  78, 176, 179, 
181,  234,  237. 

pickles,  185. 

serving,  183. 
Cultivation,  91. 
Cultivator,  horse,  98. 
Currants,  5. 
Cutworms,  94,  234,  235,  239,  249. 


Damping  off,  68. 
Diseases,  233. 


[257] 


Egg  plant,  64,  65,  85,  122. 

cooking,  124. 
Endive,  26,  196. 

salad,  197. 
Enemies,  garden,  233. 

Fall  work,  247. 
Fertiliser,  26,  29,  209. 

amount  to  apply,  35,  42. 
Fire  bug,  234. 
Flea  beetle,  234,  239. 
Formalin,  244. 
Fungicides,  243. 
Fungus,  235. 

Garden,  planning  the,  22. 

site  of,  12. 

Gardening,  cooperative,  9. 
Gooseberry,  5. 
Grape,  5. 

Harlequin  bug,  234,  236. 
Hellebore,  242. 
Herbicide,  6. 
Hoe,  99. 

wheel,  96. 
Horseradish,  221. 
Hotbed,  47,  53. 

manure  for,  59. 
Humus,  14,  29. 

Insecticides,  235,  240. 
Insects,  233. 
Irrigation,  18. 
Ivory  soap,  242. 

Kale,  198. 

Kerosene  emulsion,  242. 

Leaf  blight,  239, 
spot,  235. 


INDEX 

Lettuce,  23,  26,  50,  70,  73,  78,  198. 

serving,  200. 
Lime,  44. 

Maggot,  234,  236,  238. 
Mangoes,  pickled,  188. 
Manure,  30,  59. 

green,  31. 

Melon,  5,  10,  24,  25,  26,  78, 176, 186, 
234. 

pickle,  187. 
Mildew,  234,  238. 
Mulch,  89,  91,  150,  181,  208,  247, 

253. 
Mustard,  26,  201. 

Nitrogen,  34,  35. 

Okra,  125. 

Onion,  10, 18,  26,  50,  78,  149,  238. 

cooking,  152. 

maggot,  234. 

transplanting,  151. 

Paris  green,  5,  95, 160,  240, 242. 
Parsley,  26,  223,  249. 
Parsnip,  10,  153,  229. 

cooking,  155. 
Peas,  8,  10,  23,  26,  78,  130,  238,  248. 

cooking,  133. 
Pepper,  64,  65,  85,  127. 

cooking,  128. 
Phosphoric  acid,  38. 
Plant  protectors,  254. 
Plants,  hardening  of,  84. 

protection    for,    66,   68,  82,    89, 

254. 
Poison,  5,  6,  240. 

adhesive,  241. 

[258] 


INDEX 


Poisoned  bait,  95,  241. 

Potash,  40. 

Potassium-sulphide,  244. 

Potatoes,  10,  23,  27,  40,  157,  227, 

238. 

cooking,  163. 
Potato  beetle,  160,  234. 
Protection,  winter,  249. 
Pumpkins.  24. 

Radish,  8,  23,  26,  50,  73,  169. 
Recipe,  asparagus  loaf,  214. 

omelette,  214. 

on  toast,  215. 

soup,  212. 

beans,  cooking,  107,  108,  109. 
bean  salad,  108. 
bechamel  sauce,  215. 
beets,  baked,  143. 

boiled,  144. 

greens,  143. 

stewed,  144. 
cabbage,  cooking,  111. 

salad,  113. 

carrots,  cooking,  147. 
cauliflower,  boiled,  117. 

fried,  117. 

pickled,  118. 
corn,  boiling,  121. 

fritters,  121. 

soup,  121. 
cress  serving,  195. 
cucumber  a  la  creme,  184. 

pickles,  185. 

serving,  183. 
egg  plant,  fried,  124. 

stuffed,  125. 
endive  salad,  197. 
lettuce  salad,  201. 
mangoes,  pickled,  188. 


Recipe,  melon  pickle,  187. 
mustard  as  greens,  202. 
okra  soup,  126. 
onion,  fried,  152. 

stuffed,  152. 
parsnip,  boiled,  155. 

fried,  155. 

fritters,  156. 

stewed,  156. 
peas,  cooking,  133. 
peppers,  fried,  128. 

pickled,  130. 

stuffed,  129. 
potato,  boiled,  163, 

croquets,  167. 

fillets,  168. 

fried,  163,  167. 

lyonnaise,  165. 

puffs,  164. 

scalloped,  166. 

souffle,  164. 
pumpkin  pie,  192. 
rhubarb  pie,  219. 

sauce,  221. 
salsify,  fried,  172. 
slaw,  112. 
spinach  balls,  205. 

boiled,  203. 

cream  of,  204. 
squash,  baked,  191. 

boiled,  191. 

pie,  192. 
succotash,  108. 
tomato,  fried,  139. 

scalloped,  138. 

soup,  139. 

stewed,  137. 

stuffed,  138. 

with  macaroni,  138. 
Records,  255. 


INDEX 


Rhubarb,  23,  217. 

cooking,  219. 

forcing,  218. 
Rust  asparagus,  234,  235. 

celery,  234. 

Salads,  194. 

lettuce,  201. 
Salsify,  78,  171. 

cooking,  171. 
Scale,  234,  238. 
Seeds,  order  early,  76. 

sowing,  75. 

stormy,  253. 
Soil  testing,  45. 
Spade,  101. 
Spinach,  26,  78,  202. 

cooking,  203. 
Spraying,  160,  233,  235. 

apparatus,  245. 

Squash,  5,  23,  24,  26,  176,  189,  229, 
234,  239. 

bug,  237,  239. 

cooking,  191. 
Storing  vegetables,  226. 
Sweet  potato,  239. 


Tankage,  36,  39. 
Thomas  slag,  38. 
Thrip,  234. 
Tobacco,  40. 

dust,  243. 

Tomato,  10,  23,  27,  64,  65,  78, 
95,  134. 

cooking,  136. 

rot,  239. 

worm,  234,  239,  250. 
Tool  shed,  17. 
Tools,  96. 

cleaning,  254. 
Transplanting,  69,  84,  151. 
Trellis,  254. 
Trenching,  248. 
Turnips,  78,  172,  229,  230. 

cooking,  173. 

Water-cress,  195. 

Weevil,  235,  238. 

Weeds,  6. 

Whale  oil  soap,  242. 

Wheel-hoe,  96. 

Whitewash  on  fruit  trees,  252. 

Wood  ashes,  252. 


THE  END 


[260] 


UNIVERSITY  OP  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


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